We've been having some mad zucchini fever around here. We've been getting gifted crazy huge - big as my forearm - zucchini. They kindof invaded and took over my kitchen. The thing about those giants is that they aren't really great for lots of things, they don't really have a ton of flavor when they reach such massive proportions - but oh they are so good for baking, and baking, and...baking! I was making zucchini bread for days (at least it seemed that way), and my poor husband got the super fun task of grating all those massive veggies. After several batches of bread I inevitably ran out of sugar, and got seriously low on all-purpose flour. So I started improvising. I added whole wheat flour to the mix and opted to use honey instead of sugar. After a bit of research to figure out how to sub my sweetners I dove in. To my amazement it came out pretty great! The whole wheat flour gave it a bit of a nutty flavor and a nice texture. The honey added a chewy moistness that made it a little more dense but in a saturated way that was really nice. Also, adding the honey dropped the oil required by a cup! Score one for desperate subsitutions in the kitchen! I thought I'd share my modified recipe with you in case you ever got desperate while baking too... Honeyed Zucchini Bread4 cups shredded zucchini (pile it in a colander and press out as much water as you can) 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 1/2 cups honey 1/4 cup oil 4 eggs
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspon baking powder
(1/2 cup chopped nuts are optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients seperately then mix the dry into the wet one third at a time..
Grease and flour pans - I used a bundt pan and two small (individual size) loaf pans for this since this recipe makes enough batter for two large loaves and I find my large loaf pans don't give me great results for bread.
Pour are bake: 20-25 minutes for the small loaf pans
45-55 minutes for the bundt pan
50-60 minutes for large loaf pans
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and turn out to finish cooling.
Consume and make lots of mmm mmm mmm noises.
*Here is my resourse for the honey substitution in case you need a reference.
Happy munching! :)
(#mycreativespace)
Happy Easter weekend!
I have a little something to sweeten your holiday...
I love edible gifting!
So, when we had a birthday to celebrate this week & I needed a next-day quick gift I pulled out this super quick & easy recipe. Everything I needed was already in my pantry! :::Almond Chocolate Shortbread:::
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temprature
6 tbls. sugar
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped almonds (OK, I lied. This is the only thing I didn't have on hand, so I left it out.)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  (Oh yes, butter & flour is what it's all about!)
Combine butter, sugar & almond extract, an electric mixer makes this go so fast.
Mix in flour & salt, then add chocolate chips & almonds.
The dough will look pretty loose & crumbly as it's mixed.
Using your hands squish the dough into a rough ball.
Dump it onto a cookie sheet & mold it into an 8 inch circle, about 3/4 inch thick.
You can leave the edges smooth or crimp them to be fancy.
Then, use a fork and make score lines for the slices. This will make the slicing easier & the pieces less likely to break apart. (Although, even if it breaks, it's still mighty tasty!) Bake 30 minutes, until golden around the edges.
Cool completely on the cookie sheet. Slice (or break apart) & enjoy!
I found this recipe, that I had apparently clipped from a newspaper, taped in the back of one of my cookbooks. I don't recall it's origins but I did really enjoy making the cookies. Oh, & the furbabies in my house didn't have a problem taste testing them for you. They have been munched & approved! *I should note that this is only one of the recipes I'm making this year. As one of the dogs in our family is allergic to corn & this recipe contains cornmeal. If you've got a similar issue try the Apple Cinnamon Cookies!* What you'll need:
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup margarine
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. beef bouillon
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour What you'll do:
Combine oats, margarine & water in a bowl & allow to stand 10 minutes.
Combine cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk, cheese, & egg with the oat mixture & mix well.
Begin mixing in the flour 1 cup at a time until you have a stiff dough.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, just until it's smooth & no longer sticky.
Allow to sit for 10-20 minutes. (I always seem to forget this part, but it gives the flour a chance to hydrate & makes it roll out easier.)
Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness, & use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out your cookies.
Place them 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet (or two!)
Bake at 325 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
Cool completely before storing.
The article suggest storing them in a loosely covered container. I leave them out for a nice long while to harden a bit & dry out even more & then store them in a plastic container or bag in the freezer. If my kiddos were going to be eating them right away I'd just have them out on the counter in their cookie jar, but since these are Christmas gifts I keep them in the freezer until I'm ready to package them up & give them out. Dog tested, mother approved!
Happy Holidays to all the furbabies out there!
This week I had a bit of a canvas tote factory going on over at my Mom's house. There is a confirmation class having orientation Saturday & the kids will be decorating the totes to hold all their confirmation supplies. The creation of the bodies of 25 french seamed canvas totes seemed to go pretty fast & easy...It was attaching the 50 handles to said totes that got a little tedious! In the end they weren't the prettiest totes I've ever made (we had some bobbin tension issues) but they are sturdy & ready for the kids to add their own pretty. Which was kinda the point, so I'm very happy. Canvas tote factory success!
We also had some good food while we worked! Parmesan pasta, white cheddar popcorn, peanut M&Ms, chocolate poundcake, pie...OH! & lots of iced coffee. Factory work is hard, y'all - we had to keep the employees happy! :)
I thought I'd share a Quick & Easy "Keylime" Pie recipe with you to sweeten your day! Here's what you'll need: 1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust 1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened 1 8oz. container of whipped topping, soft & fluffy 1 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk 6oz. limeade juice concentrate (Comes in a 12oz can from the frozen food section so would've been a good idea to double everything else & make 2 pies to use it all up...There's always a friend in need of a pie, right?) a few drops of green food coloring (optional) Here's what you'll do:
mix the cream cheese until it's fluffy add the condensed milk & the juice concentrate & mix set aside 1 cup of whipped topping for decoration (optional) fold in the remaining whipped topping - folding here is very important, if you mix it it will cause the pie to become runny & not set up properly add your food coloring to the desired shade of green pile it all in your piecrust & refrigerate for 1 hour decorate with the reserved whipped topping - you can use a piping bag for a fancy design or just spread it with a spatula for a little extra fluff cut, serve, enjoy! You can also make this with lemonade or orange or any other juice concentrate that sparks your fancy! { Our Creative Spaces}
Have you heard of the cookbook Eat What You Love? I hadn't until 2 weeks ago. The hubby's grandfather had had surgery & a lecture about taking care of himself & being careful with his diabetes. I was trying to think of something to buy or make to send to him when he went home from the hospital & decided that I would bake him up some diabetic friendly treats. Of course I then needed to find recipes & I called the one person I always call when I need food advice & help - my mom! She'd heard about the Eat What You Love cookbook on QVC & said it sounded like just what we needed to get started. We found our copy at Barnes & Noble & met for lunch to talk about what recipes we should try. We ended up with an entire day of baking planned & six recipes earmarked to shop for! Why make one batch of muffins when you can make two? And some breakfast bars...and chocolate cherry bars...and...yeah. You get the idea. :) The first thing we baked up were some bran muffins with craisins. Neither of us are super fans of the bran muffin, but we decided that these were actually pretty good. Our biggest fear for these recipes was that the sugar substitute would make everything taste odd or off. Happily, it didn't! Recipe #2 was the Chocolate Cherry Bars. I loved this one! The sugar-free cherry pie filling did have a bit of that sugar-free flavor, but the chocolate cake-like bottom was so very yummy! I'd definately make these again. I would even use the chocolate base for some healthy cake brownies. Yum! Speaking of cherries, we also whipped up these little Cherry Berry Pie Cups. This is so crazy easy! 1 can of sugar-free cherry pie filling + 1 pint of fresh raspberries + 1 package piecrust = The most adorable little cherry pies ever! We didn't actually eat one of these because it looked odd when we went to package them up to have one missing. But I think I'll use a varitaion of this recipe next time I'm in charge of dessert for family dinner. So freakin' cute! Recipe #4 were some delightful Carrot Cupcakes. These were super tasty! And I'm not just saying that because I love carrot cake! They were moist & cinnamon-y delicious. Although, I would have loved some cream cheese frosting on mine - & will add that when I make them again for my family. :)
The one thing we made that I neglected to get photos of were the pumpkin oatmeal Breakfast Bars. They were pretty good as well. A little dense, but maybe that's how breakfast bars are supposed to be? They had good flavor from the pumpkin & cinnamon & would be pretty good for a quick snack on the run. The last thing we made was a couple batches of the Nuts & Bolts Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix. This was our least favorite of everything we tried, & the one thing we both said we probably wouldn't make again. The first batch - following the recipe - ended with a pile of burnt snack mix. The second batch we took out 10 minutes before we were supposed to & came out looking much better. However, the egg whites used made it so we had to break apart the mix, & we found the cajun seasoning used to be a little too spicy for our liking. I guess we could have just used less seasoning & maybe it would've worked out just fine. But, my mom already makes a really yummy snack mix that we know & love. So what we actually took away from this Eat What You Love recipe was a way to make her original snack mix lower in sodium & tweak it to make it more healthy. It's never a total loss when you try something new - you always learn something! Our next challenge is to delve into the abundance of entree recipes offered up in Eat What You Love & see what other healthy choices we might like. Really, what could be better than eating what you love if it isn't to eat the best possible version of it?
Are y'all wondering what's with all the talk about food lately?
Well...I guess I'm takin' an impromptu break from crafting & getting my cook on. :)
Hope you don't mind!
If you aren't familiar with spoon bread you are going to be so glad you clicked over here today! The easiest way to describe it is like a cornbread souffle. It's considered a southern dish so it's not uncommon to see it beside fried chicken & greens. To me, it is just a geat side dish for any meal.
Tender & corn-y & yummy!
Let's get to it! What you need:
1 cup cornmeal
2 3/4 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
12 ounces sweet corn
(I used frozen because I had it on hand, but fresh would be better!)
3 eggs - seperated
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Begin by mixing your cornmeal & 3/4 cup milk together & letting it soak. It makes the end result have a less grainy texture.
Saute the butter & whole corn together until the egdes just begin to brown.
Add salt & half the sugar & remaining 2 cups of milk.
Remove from heat and allow to steep together about 20 min.
After the 20 min. steep time bring the mixture back up to a simmer & add the cornmeal & milk mixture that has been soaking. Wisk this together over until the cornmeal has absorbed the milk and everything is well combined. It will be very thick.
Remove from heat & allow to cool about 20 minutes so that when you add the egg yolks they don't cook in the mix.
Whip your egg whites with the remaining bit of sugar until it has stiff peaks. (You can also use cream of tartar to make them more stable. And, you might get a little more lift from your spoon bread if you do it that way. But, I don't usually have cream of tartar in my kitchen so the little bit of sugar works just fine for me.)
Add the egg yolks to the corn mixture & combine them well.
Then, add 1/3 of the egg whites to the corn mixture and combine to lighten the batter.
Finally, add the remaining egg whites & gently fold them in. It is OK if there are still a few small streaks of white, it is better not to over mix it. You don't want to lose all the lightness you just whipped into the whites.
Although you preheated the oven to 400 degrees you will turn the oven down to 350 degrees when you go to bake your spoon bread. Bake in a greased 1 1/2 quart cassarole dish at 350 for 35-45 minutes. It should be lightly golden on top, a toothpick should come out pretty clean, but the center should still move/jiggle just a tiny bit.
I recommend serving right away, it is at it's most tender that way. As it cools it will get a little more dense in texture. It's great with a little extra butter, or (my hubby's favorite way) with honey drizzled over it!
Happy cooking!
I found a different stuffed squash recipe online & then because I never follow recipes exactly I tweaked it to my liking. :) This was one of my first vegetarian main dishes (although would be great as a side) & I was so happy because it is SO good! I hope you enjoy it too! What you'll need:
2 Acorn Squash
1 small onion, diced
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed & the water squeezed out
1 can Great Northern or Cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
canola spray (Pam)
olive oil
salt & pepper
I also added used - but not necessary:
a few splashes of Bragg's Liquid Aminos (tastes like soy sauce)
2 tbls. ground Flax seed
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & then start with the Acorn Squash.
Halve it, seed it & put it in a baking dish cut side up.
Spray it with the canola spray & sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Cover it with foil & bake it for 1 hour or until fork tender.
Then in a large skillet or saute pan...
Saute the onion & mushrooms with a little salt & pepper until the onion is soft & translucent & the mushrooms have darkened & evaporated some of their water.
Add in garlic, spinach, & beans. And continue to saute and pull apart the spinach until there are no big clumps, & any vegetable water has cooked off. You can add the Bragg's & Flax here if you like. (I added most of the Flax here but also added a little of it to the topping mixture.) Taste & add salt & pepper to your liking.
When the squash are finished roasting remove the foil, stuff them & set them aside.
Then in the same saute pan add a little olive oil, & the bread crumbs. Lightly toast the bread crumbs, you'll want a mixture that is like damp sand. Remove from heat & add the shredded cheese. Then sprinkle this over the tops of your stuffed squash.
Return the squash to the oven about 10-15 minutes until everything is heated through & the breadcrumb mixture is a nice golden brown.
Enjoy!
Notes:
If you aren't a fan of spinach you could use something like kale or another green sliced & wilted into the stuffing.
If you aren't a fan of cooked greens try shredded zucchini, remember to squeeze the water out of this too before you use it.
You could also add shredded carrot, or diced tomato -the color would look great in the stuffing.
Try whatever your favorite veggies are & tweak the recipe to YOUR heart's content. :)
**In later experiments with this recipe I also discovered I love it even more using spaghetti squash! :)
I can't leave my two canine kids out of the Christmas joy so I made them (& their two canine cousins) some dog cookies. Here is the recipe: Cinnamon Apple Dog Cookies
5 C. All-purpose Flour 2 C. Oatmeal 4 Tbls. Cinnamon 1 Carrot, shredded 2 Tbls. Veg. Oil 2 Tbls. Honey 25 oz. Applesauce This batter will be very dense. Mix well & allow to rest 30min. to hydrate the flour & relax a bit. (I didn't do this for the first sheet & I don't think all the flour taste was gone after I baked them. The last sheet I did had rested & did not smell flour-y after it was baked.) Preheat oven to 325. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness & use a cookie cutter to create your cookies. (I did not have dog-themed cookies cutter so I used my regular sugar cookies cutters -bells, hearts, diamonds, stars, & flowers- for mine.) Keep rolling scraps until you have used up all your dough. I got 78 cookies out of one batch. Bake 30-35 minutes. The cookies won't really look browned or any different when they are done, but will be firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely before storing. Because there are so dry & dense they will probably last several weeks stored in a dry place, but since mine are meant for Christmas gifts I packaged them in decorative bags of 25 each and stored them in a larger ziplock in the freezer. I had my taste testers snack on the 3 leftover. :) I hope your furry family & friends enjoy a little Handmade Holiday goodness too! There is always great creative cookin' going on over at Kirsty's.
Another transplant from the old blog...
Oh, how I love this recipe! I know there are several versions of this kind of recipe out there, but I love making these kind of cookies so much I thought I would share my version. Although, maybe it is my Aunt's and my Mom's version since they passed it along to me. At any rate I am going to claim it! Afterall, I do make cake cookies all the time for my cookie -loving husband, and I love thinking up all kinds of different combinations of cake mixes and extras. To start, here is the basic 1-2-3 recipe that we will be adding to:
1 box cake mix - for this recipe I used a devil's food chocolate, but once you learn the formula you can use ANY flavor and get great cookies.
2 eggs
1/3 C. oil - I happened to use olive oil this time (no you cannot taste any difference), any light oil is fine, or I occasionally substitute applesauce to cut down on the fat.
Now for the Almond Joy part!
1/2 C. chopped almonds
1/2 C. chocolate chips
1/2 C. flake coconut
(had I had some, I would have added 1 tsp. coconut extract)
Start by mixing the basic cookie ingredients first - your cake mix, eggs and oil. The batter will be very stiff, and you will have to put a bit of muscle into it to moisten all the cake mix. If you find that the batter is way too dry add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
You guys didn't need a picture of what it looks like getting mixed right?
I didn't think so. :) Once you get it mixed so it is a kind of cohesive mass, it is time to add in your extras. I am a dump and mix girl, but you are welcome to add one at a time if you feel that it gets things more evenly distributed.
Pre-heat your oven to 350, and scoop out your cookies. I use a small ice cream scoop for this, and I had a yield of 3 dozen cookies. I have also used the larger scoop and gotten around 2 dozen.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until done. Enjoy!
Some of my other favorite cake mix/extra combos are:
Cherry Chip or Strawberry with Chocolate Chips
Chocolate with Peanut Butter Chips
Lemon, sprinkled with powdered sugar
Better Pecan or Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting
I hope you come up with all sorts of yummy combinations & find this great quickie cookie recipe as fun as I do!
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