Zucchini Bread

What to do with all that zucchini that is growing in your garden?? This bread is delicious! I found the recipe on the web, but tweaked it quite a bit according to other people that have tried it. It turned out fabulous. My favorite zucchini bread recipe ever (and I've made several recipes). It is moist, but not mushy. Enjoy!

ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (or you CAN use all white)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together well.

2. In a mixer, mix together eggs, sugars, apple sauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla.

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix well. Stir in the zucchini and walnuts (if using) until just combined.

4. Pour batter into 2 well greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for apx. 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool!

*Great with cream cheese spread on it!

*Throw in some chocolate chips for a more dessert-type bread.

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Anniversary Chicken

I have made this a few times and it is great! I'm not sure where the recipe came from as it is on the Internet, in church cook books etc. Certainly, I didn't come up with it, but I enjoy it and so I thought I'd pass it on to you! I've made it in both the oven, and in the crock pot. I like both equally. It almost "looks" prettier if done in the oven, but it tastes just a little more tender in the crock pot. Your choice! I imagine you can easily put this in the dutch oven and have a great camping dish too! Enjoy!

ingredients:

6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts or 10+ breast tenderloins

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 strips of bacon or bacon bits

chives (optional)

oven directions:

1. Cook bacon (unless you are using the bacon bits) and cut up/crush into small bit pieces. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm about 2 tbsp of olive oil or butter. Put the chicken in the skillet and saute until they are lightly browning. Place chicken in a 9x13" baking dish.

3. Mix together the teriyaki sauce and the ranch dressing. Pour over chicken. Next, place a generous amount of shredded cheddar over each piece of chicken and sprinkle with the bacon bits and chives (if using).

4. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

crock pot/dutch oven directions:

1. Cook bacon and cut/crush into small bits (if not using bacon bits). Place raw or frozen chicken in the crock pot.

2. Mix together the teriyaki sauce and ranch dressing. Pour over the chicken. Sprinkle bacon bits over chicken.

3. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4 hours.

4. When serving, make sure each piece has some bacon with it and the generously sprinkle the shredded cheddar over each served piece of chicken. Garnish with chives (if using).

Enjoy!

.....I got a lot of "Thanks for the Yummy Dinner, Mom"s after serving this. The kids LIKE it, and the hubby couldn't get enough. It really is a delicious chicken dish!

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Taco Soup

My friend made a variation of this when we went camping--right there on the camp stove in her large stock pot. It was fabulous. Today, I'm making it in the crock pot. It smells great! Thanks Shauna for the idea!

ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

2 cans pinto beans (un-drained)

1 can kidney beans (drained)

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can corn (un-drained)

2 cans tomatoes with chilies (Rotel-type)

1 taco seasoning packet

1 ranch dressing packet

serve over:

Frito Scoops or Tortilla Chips

garnish with:

sour cream

shredded cheese

directions:

1. Ground the beef or turkey and drain fat off.

2. Open all the cans (drain the kidney and black beans). Empty everything into your slow cooker or stock pot.

3. Add ground beef/turkey into pot as well as the taco seasoning and ranch dressing packets. Mix together and let cook.

4. If you are cooking this in your crock pot, cook on low for at least 4 hours--up to 8 hours. If you are cooking this on your stove, bring to a boil, turn down and let simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Serve over chips and garnish with sour cream and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

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Simple Crock Pot Meatballs

This recipe is great for a basic--but delicious and tender--meatball. We love it in meatball subs (just get some hoggie rolls and mozzarella cheese). It is also great with your spaghetti too. Enjoy!




ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1-2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 small yellow onion, finely dinced (or 2 Tbsp. dried minced onion)
1 egg, beaten
1 jar/can spaghetti sauce
salt to taste


directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together beef, bread crumbs, parsley and onion. Add the egg. Mix until combined together.

2. Shape into 12-16 meatballs (depending on the size of meatball you want). Pour spaghetti sauce over the meatballs.

3. Spray your crock pot with non-stick baking spray. Place meatballs in the crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.

The meatballs will be tender and delicious. Enjoy!

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5-Star Otameal Raisin Cookies

These are fabulous cookies. Take a basic recipe, and added some spice to it. It is chewy and delicious. I served them to my sewing group, and they were enjoyed!! (my kids like it too ) This is a GOOD COOKIE!

ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cup raisins

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick baking spray (the first time only).

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, lightly combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.

4. Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Add the rolled oats and raisins, mixing only long enough to combine them through the batter.

5. Plop onto cookie sheet with a medium-size scoop, or spoon. Bake for apx. 10 minutes (I did 10 minutes and 30 seconds)--watching for them to be lightly golden brown. DO NOT OVER BAKE.

6. Let cool and enjoy. They will be yummy and chewy. Store in an air-tight container.

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Monkey Bread

We've gone camping a few times this summer...and we always have so much fun. AND--we like to camp "in style." We may be "Sally Campers" but we like to cook it up right--and there is no better way than to Dutch Oven cook while there. A friend make this for us one night, and this past time, I made it too--but I kicked it up a notch and made it more sticky and gooey--it was yummo. Thanks Raina for the idea!

ingredients:

3-4 cans biscuits (10 biscuits per can) depending on amount you need/group size

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 sticks butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

optional

raisins

pecans

directions:

1. In a large ziploc bag, put in white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Close bag and toss to combine ingredients.

2. Cut each biscuit into quarters. A few at a time, put in the sugar/cinnamon bag, and toss to coat.

3. Place coated biscuits into a foiled and cooking sprayed Dutch Oven. This is when you would want to add in your optional ingredients and toss with the coated biscuits (raisins and/or pecans).

4. When all the biscuits have been coated and are in the Dutch Oven, melt 2 sticks (1 cup) butter over your propane stove in a skillet. Once the butter is melted, pour in the remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture and the extra 1/4 cup brown sugar. Stir with the butter and warm together for 1-2 minutes.

5. Pour the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture over the biscuits in the Dutch Oven.

6. Place Dutch Oven on your coals, and let cook for apx. 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the biscuits are no longer doughy. Serve and ENJOY!!

*I am going to also try this in my bundt cake pan or a deep dish 9x13 at home--baking it in a 350 oven for about an hour. I'm certain it will turn out lovely.

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Pink Cookies

These cookies are awesome. I got the recipe from Rebecca when I lived out in New York--she had us over and our children all got to decorate cookies. I was so happy--they tasted JUST LIKE the big pink cookies that you get in Utah. I remember buying these cookies like every day after classes at BYU--there was a certain vending machine in the Marriott Business building that sold them. So...my Freshman 5--well, this sure helped that out! Yumm!



COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. baking powder
7 cups flour

directions:
1. Cream butter and sugar together.

2. Add and mix eggs and vanilla.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
4. Roll out cookie dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into favorite shapes and place on a lightly non-stick sprayed baking sheet.

5. Bake at pre-heated 400 degree oven for 5-6 minutes, or until very pale.
DO NOT OVERBAKE. These cookies will not puff up or "grow" much. They will be very soft if you don't overbake!



FROSTING
ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg whites
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
food coloring pink

directions:
1. Cream together butter and vanilla.

2. Add alternately and mix egg whites and powdered sugar.

3. Beat for 5-10 minutes with electric mixer. Frosting should be very light and fluffy.

So you know, it kind of depends on the oven you have when baking the cookies. I have sometimes put it between 375 and 400. You'll have to see how your oven cooks. The important thing is to get the cookies cooked, but definitely not over done.

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