Becca

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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This bread is a dessert. Let’s just put that out there right now. Do not fool yourself into thinking it is healthy because it has zucchini in it. I mean, I am sure the zucchini is good for you but you could basically call this “Chocolatey Cakey Brownie Loaf.” That being said, it is a great way to use up all that zucchini from your garden. And it is delectable. I double the recipe, make 3 loaves with it and then give 2 of the 3 loaves away. The original recipe comes from What Megan’s Making. I originally doubled the recipe but the pans were very full so I decided to double the recipe (but tripled the amount of baking soda and baking powder) and make 3 loaves out of it.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (makes one loaf)

2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Baking Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
1 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed
1 cup chocolate chips (I used half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet)

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F; Grease and flour an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and flour, mixing until well combined. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing. Or, just cut a piece while it is warm and enjoy!

Curried Walnut Couscous–redo

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I got this recipe from a grocery store back in Florida. They had entire meals printed in color on nice card stock for people to collect. Anyway one of the meals featured this curried walnut couscous and it has been one of my absolute favorites ever since. My kids love it too (and make a giant mess when they eat it.)
 It is quick and simple and delicious
CURRIED WALNUT COUSCOUS
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 C. chopped walnuts (I use pecans in a pinch)
1 C. couscous
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. golden raisins (I have never made it with these)
Place butter, brown sugar, curry powder and walnuts in a medium saucepan. Cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring often until butter melts. 
Cook 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. 
Stir in remaining ingredients, heat and stir 2 more minutes. 
Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff and serve. 
 

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

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Just as fair warning, the next few posts from me might all have to do with veggies from our garden and/or grilling. Sometimes both. We have soooo much zucchini. My menu this week has zucchini on 4 of the 7 nights. However, it is a great opportunity to try new zucchini recipes. My friend told me to try this recipe from Our Best Bites and it was really tasty. I am not always great at following a recipe perfectly…I like to tweak things here and there. So, I will share with you the way I did it.

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

3 medium zucchini (about 10″)
8 oz. ground chicken (or turkey) Italian sausage
1/2 C diced red onion
  3cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato (about 1/2 C diced)
2-3 T chopped fresh basil
1 C. Shredded Cheese (I used a combo of Parmesan and Asiago. You can use pre-shredded if you want.)
3 T Italian style panko bread crumbs.
kosher salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1. Slice zucchini in half length wise, leaving the tops on. Scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges and bottoms. Take the good parts of the zucchini guts you just scooped out and dice up about 3/4 to 1 C. This will go in your filling.

2. Preheat your grill outside. Spray or drizzle olive oil all over the cut zucchini. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Place them on the grill over medium, cut side down. 

3. Start your filling in a skillet on the stovetop. Start by browning the sausage. When you no longer see pink, add the onions, garlic, and diced zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Add tomato and basil, a touch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

4. Remove your zucchini from the grill. It should have some nice grill marks and be tender. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Bring them inside.

5. Add the cheese and bread crumbs to filling mixture. Stir to combine and then divide the filling between the zucchini. Sprinkle a bit of bread crumbs over the top of the zucchini. Then give them a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

6. Return the zucchini to the grill, filling side up. Close the grill and cook for another 5-10 minutes. 
Serve! 

Halibut Burgers

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 So, part of my life was spent in Alaska and my parents still live there. One of the perks to having them there is having an abundance of wild caught halibut, salmon, rock fish, etc. So delicious! Here is one of our favorite and simple recipes for halibut.

Halibut Burgers (or HALIBURGERS)
Ingredients
1-2 lbs. halibut
Salt and Pepper
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Olive oil 
Butter 
Sesame buns (or buns of your choice)
Mayonnaise
Tomato
Lettuce 
Avocado 
1. Cut your halibut into pieces (butterfly them if necessary) Season with salt, pepper and a bit of Montreal steak seasoning 
2. In a frying pan, add a little bit of olive oil and a little bit of butter (about 1 Tbsp each) Cook the fish on both sides, til cooked through.
3. Toast your hamburger buns. You can pop them under the broiler (or if you have an obnoxious broiler that has to heat up for 20 minutes like mine, you can cheat and toast them over your gas burner.)
 4. Then build your burger. Mayo, lettuce, tomato, avocado and halibut. Enjoy!

Grandma’s Best Apple Pie

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There once was a girl who liked making pies
But all of those years she could not devise 
how to make the perfect pie crust 
or apples that would not turn to mush

Until by chance she tried a new way
different from any she’d made up to that day
It turned out superb to her great relief
she conquered the pie that had given her grief. 

Perfect Pie Crust
12 Tbsp. very cold unsalted butter
1/3 c. very cold vegetable shortening
3 C. flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
6-8 Tbsp. ice water
 
Dice the butter and return to the fridge or freezer while preparing the other ingres. Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times til butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured surface and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 mins. 
The recipe says it is for a double crust pie, but it actually makes enough for 3 single crusts, depending on how thick you roll it. 
  
Grandma’s Best Apple Pie (from All Recipes. Link here)
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust
pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon (opt.)
8 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored
and sliced


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon (if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.



Olive Cheese Bread

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 This bread is amazing. It is soft and gooey and salty and cheesy. The recipe came from the amazing Pioneer Woman. However, as with most recipes that I cook, I tweaked it a bit. I found the original recipe much too salty. To cure that, I cut down the amount of green olives and also rinsed them before chopping them. I also cut the amount of butter. Original recipe here.


Olive Cheese bread
4 TBSP butter-room temp
1/2 C. Mayo
4 oz. green olives (about 1/2-3/4 C.)
1 can black olives (6 oz.)
2 green onions
3/4 lb. grated Monterrey Jack cheese (I always use a block and grate it myself. I used the pre-grated stuff once and it was not as good.)
1 loaf french bread

preheat oven to 325.
Mix butter and mayo in a bowl. Chop up green olives, black olives and green onions. Add them to the bowl and mix it up. Then add the grated cheese and stir to combine.
Cut the french bread in half lengthwise. Spread the olive cheese mixture evenly over both sides of the french bread. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
I like to turn the broiler on for just a minute or two to get a nice golden color on the melted cheese.
Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and then slice and serve.

Layered Turtle Cheesecake

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
  • FILLING:
  • 4 packages (8 ounces each) Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • GANACHE:
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
  • Additional caramel ice cream topping, optional

Directions

  • Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
  • In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and pecans; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.
  • In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup flour, cream and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Remove 1 cup batter to a small bowl; stir in melted chocolate. Spread over crust.
  • In another bowl, mix caramel topping and remaining flour; stir in pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls over chocolate batter. Top with remaining batter. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
  • Bake at 325° for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
  • For ganache, place chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chips; whisk until smooth. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove sides of springform pan. Spread ganache over cheesecake; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate until set. If desired, drizzle with additional caramel topping before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Greek Style Vinaigrette

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 I originally found this recipe about 6 years ago, here.
I was pregnant at the time and had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Therefore, I eliminated the orzo and just made the salad. Now, it has become one of my favorite dressings. I make a batch and use it throughout the week. I love to use spinach, feta, kalamata olives and cucumber. You can also add tomatoes, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, or whatever suits your fancy. I also add chicken to make it a meal.

Greek Style Vinaigrette
3 T. lemon juice
1 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. honey
1/2 t. oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. freshly cracked black pepper
1 t. lemon zest (optional-but I always add it-so yummy)
1/3 c. olive oil

Combine first eight ingredients in bowl or mason jar. Add oil and emulsify! Shake before using because the honey settles on the bottom if not fully incorporated.

Andes Layered Frozen Mousse Pie

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I LOVE Andes Chocolates. A few years ago I discovered their Creme de Menthe baking chips and I was so excited. On the back of the package was this recipe (you can also find it on their website http://www.tootsie.com/rec_moussepie.php) 
 I have made it multiple times for family gatherings around the holidays. I added the whipped cream and extra chips on top, but this pie is so delicious and rich. Definitely a family favorite.

Ingredients: 2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 ready-to-use chocolate wafer crumb crust (6 oz. or 9-inch)
1-1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
2 cups Andes Crème de Menthe Chips or 2 packages 4.67 oz Andes Crème de Menthe Thins, chopped. (28 candies)
2 egg yolks

Directions:

Stir 1/2 cup of Andes Crème de Menthe chips into ice cream. Spread onto bottom of crust; freeze.

Melt remaining Andes chips with 1/2 cup whipping cream in saucepan over low heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in egg yolks. Continue heating over medium-low heat 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Do not allow to boil. Cool to room temperature.

Whip remaining 1 cup whipping cream until stiff peaks form; fold into Crème de Menthe mixture. Spoon over ice cream in crust. Freeze 4 hours or overnight.

Note: Allow pie to stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.

Chicken Salad with Grapes

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This recipe comes from my sister-in-law who got it from an old roommate’s dad or something like that. I have tweaked it a bit over the years, as is usual for most recipes I use. It uses sour cream as well as mayonnaise to lighten it up a bit. The other secret ingredient is fresh lime juice. It adds some brightness to the salad.
Please feel free to add or omit ingredients. And a lot of the measurements are approximations. I do not measure when I make this. I just add as I go. 
4 Chicken breasts cooked and cut into small cubes
3-5 Cups seedless red grapes cut in half
3-4 Green onions, chopped
1/2-1 Cup sliced almonds
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1/2 Cup sour cream
Juice of 1 or 2 limes
1/2-1 tsp. dried thyme
Sprinkle of seasoned salt
S&P to taste
Combine chicken, grapes, green onion and almonds in a large bowl. 
In a separate bowl, combine the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, thyme, seasoned salt and S&P. 
Pour dressing over the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning and lime juice as desired. 
Serve with your choice of bread, rolls or crackers.