Wow! What Wonderful Zucchini Bread!

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 eggs

 2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups flour (up to half may be whole wheat)

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325. Spray two 8 x 4 inch bread pans, or line them with parchment paper. 

In large bowl mix together very well the oil, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the zucchini. 

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients except walnuts. Add to first mixture and mix just until flour dust is mixed in. 

Fold in the walnuts.

Bake 45 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

(This tastes especially good if the zucchini has been proudly raised in your own garden! And if the veggie is youthful enough that the skin is soft, by all means don't peel it first.)

fresh raspberry scones

(First of all, I've tried a new background from Vintagemadeforyou and I know some of you have had stress with this website when I've used their backgrounds. Please let me know how it works. Hope it will this time---fingers crossed---since it's been a long time ago that I used from here.) Okay, let's get on with this:

2 1/2 cups flour 

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

dash salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut in pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 400. With pastry blender, cut together five ingredients till pea-size chunks form. In another bowl whisk together buttermilk and egg. Mix together wet and dry ingredients just until blended. If it's too thick add a little milk. Fold in the raspberries. On parchment-paper lined pans, pat dough into two circles approximately 3/4" thick and 7" across. Sprinkle with 1Tbsp sugar. Score each circle into 8 wedges with a knife. Bake until golden brown, 15 - 18 minutes. Serve warm with butter or sour cream sweetened with icing sugar and a splash of vanilla.

my very own relish

I've revised many different recipes over the years and now this is The One And Only! I'll give you the original that I always ad lib from.

1 qt cucumbers, shredded

1 qt onions, shredded

1 qt cabbage, shredded

1 qt celery, shredded

1 qt peppers, shredded

1/2 cup pickling/course salt

4 cups white vinegar (or 3 cups pickling vinegar)

5 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour (little less if using pickling vinegar)

1 Tbsp mustard seed

1 Tbsp celery seed

5 Tbsp dry mustard

1 Tbsp turmeric

I like to use my Bosch shredder for processing the veggies. I don't use the finest shredder, but the one next up from that. Soak veggies in salt overnight. Drain in the morning, after your house smells verrrry oniony, and cook up the brine in a large pot. Like I mean large, especially if you triple the recipe like I do! Add drained veggies to brine and cook the whole mess for 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars. This beautiful golden concoction will seal as it cools. 

NOTE: you may substitute veggies like crazy. Basically, you want your onions and celery to remain the same, but the rest is very interchangeable. I like to think "color" so whatever combination you use should be colorful. Here are some options: zucchini instead of cukes; carrots in place of some of the peppers; turnips (no kidding) instead of cabbage (they taste the same or pretty close); cauliflower...use whatever you have on hand. The flavors mostly come from the brine anyway, so it's the color-figuring-out-part that's important (to me). With these thoughts I shall close.

chocolate crumb bars (aka: inhalation bars!)

(from Jennifer Anne Warkentin Meissen who submitted it to "Southern Country 2" recipe book)

1 cup margarine, softened

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat margarine. Beat in flour, sugar and salt. Press 2 cups crumbs into 9 x 13" pan. Bake @ 350 for 10 - 12 minutes. While baking, melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan or microwavable bowl. Add vanilla. (I always forget to add this and it still tastes awesome.) Spread over hot crust. Stir the remaining chocolate chips into remaining crumbs. (May have to add a little more flour to make crumbly) Sprinkle over filling. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until middle is set.

I usually double this and bake it in a Costco pan. Chopped walnuts or flaked almonds may also be added to the top crumbs with excellent results. 

"Thanks, Jenny!!!"

peach pie filling (to can)

8 cups chopped or diced peaches (however you like!)

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 TBSP minute tapioca

1/2 cup water

Put all together in pot and make sure tapioca gets soaked in juices at least 5 minutes prior to cooking. (This keeps it from becoming gluey and gooey and Lewey...that was for you, Rhea!) Boil for 2 minutes and ladle into jars. Hot water bath 20 minutes. 

I quadrupled this recipe and got 7 quarts with enough left over to eat with icecream for supper!

Oh, and one batch I did half the fruit raspberries and half peaches. SCRUMMMM!

I can almost taste the tarts made with this. Add a mammothosity pile of whipped cream sweetened with cherry or peach Torani syrup...ok I'll quit now!

peach salsa

First of all....please wear rubber gloves when chopping your peppers. I didn't and now I'm living with the rewards! And whatever you do, don't rub your eyes if you opt outa the gloves.

1/2 cup white vinegar

6 cups chopped peeled pitted peaches

1 1/4 cup chopped red onion

4 jalapeno finely chopped (remove veins and seeds if you don't want it too hot)

2 cayenne peppers finely chopped (see above note)

1 bell pepper seeded and chopped (red is pretty but any color works.)

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp honey

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 to 2 tsp salt

 

Prepare 4 pint jars and lids (or equivalent) for canning. In largish pot, combine all ingredients. (As you add peaches be sure to mix them into the vinegar quickly to eliminate browning.) Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and ladle into jars. Process 15 minutes.

This made 4 1/2 pints for me today, so we get to sample it at supper time!!!