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.

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!!!"

salsa from Dena

"I thought I’d send this salsa thing I made to serve with Mexican food since your mango recipe reminded me. Just chop and stir.
The salsa thing is, begin with red onion, cilantro, salt, and lime, aka the Pioneer Woman. I think tomato is a basic for her too. Then just add whatever you find in the fridge.

This salad majored in cabbage and cilantro.

Cabbage

Black beans

Mango, the red and the yellow ones

Lime juice

Leftover corn from Sunday

Tomato
jalapeno

Cilantro

Salt

Avocado

Red onion

I haven't tried it yet, but it's right at the top of my to-try list. Basically anything Mexican and cilantro speaks to me and I can't resist! BTW someone told Dena they thought it was a salad; so maybe any way of eating it is perfect.

scrummy bacon cornbread

1 14" castiron frypan

1/2 pkg bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1 1/2 cups corn meal

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup oil

2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Fry bacon in cast iron pan on stove top. When bacon is nearly crisp shut off heat and spread bacon evenly in pan. Don't drain bacon fat. Meanwhile mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Pour wet ingred into dry and mix until just barely mixed. Add peppers and stir in a bit. (I add peppers to 1/2 my batter AFTER it's in the pan. There are little mouths here who don't appreciate it too spicy hot!) Pour batter into still-hot pan on top of bacon. Bake at 350F till toothpick inserted comes out clean. (20 to 25 minutes...this somewhat depends on how much your pan has cooled while you've mixed the other ingredients.) 

Serve warm. I served this with a cream sauce made with sauted mushrooms and chicken. Top with shredded cheese. mmmmm

strawberry spinach salad (slightly revised)

...from Fran

Fill a bowl with fresh spinach

sliced strawberries

sliced mushrooms

crumbled feta cheese

bacon bits (optional, but not really)

little bit of coconut

walnuts or pecans or sliced almonds

DRESSING:

1/2 cup oil

3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

1 1/2 tsp minced red onion (or more)

2 TBSP sesame seeds

2 TBSP poppy seeds

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp paprika

Shake dressing together and pour as much as you like over salad right before eating. We plan to eat this a lot all summer!

Heather's raised yeast waffles

1 pkg (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups warm 2% milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

In large bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in milk, eggs, and butter. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; stir into yeast mixture just until combined. Cover and let stand and rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake in preheated waffle iron until golden brown. 

NOTE: I used instant yeast and did no presoaking with the yeast. Excellent results. These waffles smell like baking fresh bread and are soooo light and crisp. 

apple fritters

simply THE BEST RECIPE...from my friend Jeanette

1 cup milk, scalded

1 Tbsp margarine

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vinegar

2 apples, shredded

1 egg (beaten with

1/4 cup water)

3 cups flour

4 tsp yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine in order given. Use dough cycle. Drop spoonfuls into hot fat (375F) Glaze with the folowing:

3 cups icing sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp vanilla

(approx!!) 1/2 cup hot water

I had heard of Jeanette's apple fritters before. Oh yes I had. And I'd been told they were sooo good you'd never be the same again after you'd eaten them. This is all true! Believe me. Eat them fresh and hot...

rhubarbjam-from-jars-that-have-unsealed-and-must-be-used-up oatmeal bars

First of all, the origin of this recipe is from Pioneer Woman, but I sure did change it! I doubled it and put it into a Costco pan cuz there was so much jam to use up. I still have half of it left. PW said to use Strawberry Preserves. This version is great, too! Tanner made these, actually. They are a huge hit!

1 3/4 stick cold butter, cut in pieces (translate into Canadian to read 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup quick oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt

1 10-12 oz jar preserves, in my case, rhubarb jam-m-m-m-m!!!

Make crumbs outa all ingredients except jammmm. Spray 9x13 pan and press 1/2 crumbs into it. Spoon jam over crumbs, careful not to lift crumbs up. We weren't successful at all with amazing results! Dump rest of crumbs on top and lightly press. Bake @ 350F 30-40 minutes until lightly brown. Cool and cut. Or be like us and snitch while hot. We dreamed of piling on the ice cream, but no one felt like waiting for someone to run downstairs for it! It was instant gratification!

fancy mac and cheese (revised from pioneer woman)

2 cups (aprox) slice mushrooms
Watkins cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, sliced thin
1/4 - 1/2 cup butter (I didn't measure)
1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup Mozza
1 1/4 cup cheddar
4 cups macaroni (maybe 5 cups but no more; I made 6 and had WAAAY too much)
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten

Spread mushrooms in Costco pan lined with parchment paper. Spray well with cooking spray and bake @ 425F 25 minutes until deep golden brown. Set aside.
Fry bacon until only chewy, not crisp. Set aside on paper towel to soak up all that fat.
Saute onions till golden in bacon fat. Set aside. I drained these in a sieve. (I can't stand too much grease!)
Cook mac until almost done. Drain and set aside.
To make sauce melt 4 TBSP butter (aprox) in saucepan and whisk the flour into the melted butter. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon about 1/4 cup hot white sauce into a small bowl containing the beaten egg, stirring the egg with a fork as you drizzle it in. Then pour the mixture into the pot with the white sauce, stirring constantly. Add all that cheese.
Stir cheese sauce into the macaroni, adding milk to thin as necessary; I added quite a bit.
Layer into well-sprayed 9x13 pan like this: 1/2 the bacon,onion and mushroom, then 1/2 the mac. 1/2 onion and mushroom, 1/2 mac and then 1/2 bacon. If you wanna add more cheese on top, by all means do! I didn't and we loved it.
Bake @ 350F 1/2 an hour or so or until bubbly and hot. Enjoy!

apple cinnamon wraps

(Now, THESE are good! My taste testers passed them with flying banners!!!)

10-12 tortillas (I used whole wheat, homemade of course!)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (divided; used “lite” over here at our house)

1 ½ tsp cinnamon (divided)

½ cup cream cheese (softened)

½ cup sour cream (lite)

6 Granny Smith apples (peeled, shredded)

Mix together sour cream, 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, and ½ tsp cinnamon. Set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients together, except torts. Fill tortillas generously with apple mixture. Place seam side down in greased 9 x 13 pan. Pour sour cream mixture over. Bake @ 350F for ½ to ¾ hour till hot through and bubbly. (Mine never bubbled. I dunno why, but since that sounds right, I said to bake till bubbly! But they did get hot throughout. The apples were tender crisp still, but that’s how we like them.) Serve hot with ice cream.

NOTE: I made fresh whole wheat torts the other day and wondered if they’d make good dessert wraps. So I decided to wing it and WOW! What a success! Never heard of such before. Since then I've gone online and seen recipes similar.