Biscuits Two Ways

This recipe came across my Reader and I thought it would be perfect to go with the rolls for Thanksgiving. It was a lovely addition to the meal. We had quite a bit left over so I had to find something yummy to serve it on. I found the Buttermilk Biscuit recipe below, and I don't know if I will try any more. They are fabulous! I did feel it was a little wrong to eat only biscuits with honey butter so I made Sausage Gravy to go over some of the biscuits and to make it more of a meal.

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Honey Butter
from Our Best Bites
Print Recipe

1 cup butter
2/3 cup honey
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric hand-mixer for about 30 seconds. Serve at room temp with warm rolls, scones, breadsticks, corn bread, waffles, toast, etc.

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Buttermilk Biscuits
from Cafe Zupas
Print Recipe

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp chilled butter
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add buttermilk, tossing with a fork until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly a few times just until smooth. Pat the dough to desired thickness, 1/2 inch to 1 inch. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out biscuits. Bake on a ungreased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Brush some melted butter over the tops to make them even more delicious!

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Sausage Gravy
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 lb pork sausage
2 Tbsp butter
3 heaping Tbsp flour
3-4 cups milk
salt, pepper, & season salt, to taste

Cook sausage until done, remove from pan, and set aside. Return pan to stove and melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until butter and sausage grease are all combined. Add seasonings. Reduce heat to low, stir in milk starting with 1/2 cup. Stir in the milk until the clumps are gone, then add more milk until it reaches the desired consistency. Be patient! Clumps and lumps will work out, just be patient. If you add too much milk, simmer and let it reduce instead of trying to add more flour. Serve over biscuits.

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Two Recipes I Shared

I was invited to participate in an email recipe swap. Below are the two recipes I shared.

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Spaghetti Pie
from Unknown Online Source
Print Recipe

6 oz spaghetti
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, well beaten
1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage out of the casings
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup (8 ounces) ricotta cheese
1 cup favorite spaghetti sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook spaghetti and drain. In a large bowl mix spaghetti with butter, Parmesan cheese, and eggs. Stir quickly and well. Form spaghetti mixture into a crust in a greased pie plate. In a skillet over med-high heat cook beef or sausage, onions, and garlic until meat is browned and onions translucent. Drain off extra grease and stir in spaghetti sauce. Heat through. Spread ricotta over spaghetti crust and top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with meat mixture and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake in 350° oven for 20 minutes. Serves 6.

**In place of the spaghetti sauce mixed with the cooked meat, onions, and garlic you could use prepared meat sauce.

++This is delicious and it is a little different than Baked Spaghetti from this postover this.

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Navajo Tacos
from Unknown Online Source
Print Recipe

Dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 - 2 cups more flour

Toppings:
chili (1 or 2 cans)
grated cheese
tomatoes
sour cream
olives
green onions
guacamole (optional)

Mix first four ingredients till smooth. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll thin. Cook in oil on both sides. Deep fat fry them, or use low fat method, described below.

--Serves 4 to 6.

++Either use cooking spray or make your own by placing oil in a regular spray bottle. Spray a little bit of oil in the pan and cook the dough till golden brown. Then lift the scone up with a pancake turner, spray a little more oil, and flip it over to cook on the other side. Alternately you could spread a little bit of oil around using a pastry brush. It works every time. I set the heat to medium so they don't burn.

++The thinner you roll the scones the faster they cook.

++Can serve extra scones with butter and honey for a treat.

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The Recipes and Only the Recipes

Moo baked Chocolate Pudding Bottoms Up Cake and Apple Crisp last week and here are the recipes as promised.

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Chocolate Pudding Bottoms Up Cake
adapted from the New Junior Cookbook (Better Homes & Gardens)
Print Recipe

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour batter into ungreased casserole. Put 1/2 cup sugar and the 2Tbsp cocoa powder in small mixing bowl. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour evenly over batter in casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Set on cooling rack and cool to 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

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Apple Crisp
from Sparky
Print Recipe

4 cups tart apples (cored, peeled, sliced) OR 1 can apple pie filling*
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter

Heat oven to 375. Grease pan. Place apples/apple pie filling in bottom. Mix remaining ingredients sprinkle over apples. Bake 30 minutes till top is golden brown and apples are tender.

*I used the Freezer Apple Pie Filling I made earlier this month.

++I usually double the recipe because it gives me a better topping to cooked apple ratio as I cooked apples are not a favorite of mine.

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Last night I made Sloppy Cornbread. I made my favorite Barbecue Beef (recipe below) poured it in a 9x13 dish, sprinkled some grated cheese over it, and then I topped it with Cornbread batter (recipe below) then baked it at 400 for 30 minutes.

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Barbecue Beef
from Sparky
Print Recipe

2 lbs hamburger
2 cups ketchup
1 cup tomato juice
1 tsp dry mustard
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 onion, diced
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder

Brown hamburger and combine all ingredients in slow cooker on Low for 4 – 5 hours. If you like sweet barbecue add more brown sugar.

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Cornbread
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400. Place muffin papers in muffin pan(s) makes 15 or so. Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil, and egg in small bowl; mix well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stir just until blended. Add hot dogs and stir until combined. Scoop mixture into muffin papers; filling 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

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There you have it. The recipes and only the recipes.

What Was Wrong With Last Week?!?

(That title would have been so much cooler if I had put "Wast" instead of "Last" but I just couldn't do it. Sounds too much like baby talk.)

So last week was a little off for me but even with fewer meals cooked I still have some recipes for you.

Here is how the week went as far as our meals:
Monday -- I can't recall what we had for dinner but I believe Moo made Chocolate Puddle Bottoms Up Cake (recipe in a later post) and I made whipped cream (recipe in a later post)
Tuesday -- migraine, I ate bread with butter and honey, PE ate Shrimp Scampi (recipe below), I was sleeping and have no idea what the kids ate (such a good mom)
Wednesday -- Smoked Swiss and Onion cheese spread with Ritz crackers and pumpkin chocolate chip bread from bakery (so healthy)
Thursday -- Peanut Butter and honey/jelly sandwiches and pumpkin chocolate chip bread (again, so healthy)
Friday -- Stroganoff Sauce with steamed brocolli
Saturday (Lunch) -- Cheeseburger Soup (freezer swap meal) with Brown and Serve Rolls and Apple Crisp (recipe in a later post) for dessert
Saturday (Dinner) -- Leftover Shrimp Scampi and Arizona Sugar Cookies (recipe below) that was our big date night for the week as the kids were over at Auntie Cooking W. having their annual pumpkin carving/cookie decorating party. (One of the many reasons I admire my sister. She can have all the kids together and not go crazy.)
Sunday -- One Pot Dinner (recipe below) and Cheddar Cheese Bread (recipe below)

Tonight or tomorrow I am going to try throwing something together (this is a big step for me). I have enchilada sauce and black beans that I took out of the freezer for another recipe and that fell through so I need to get them used. It is going to involve making homemade tortillas so I will let you know how it all goes and what I will try to pay attention to what I do so I can share a recipe.

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Cheeseburger Soup
from Recipezaar
Print Recipe

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
3/4 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 tsp dried parsley
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cheddar cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine

In a large pot, brown ground beef and onion. Add broth, celery, carrots, parsley and potatoes. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes. In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth. Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese; continue to stir until cheese is melted then serve or freeze. Do not boil.

**To serve from frozen: Defrost in refrigerator overnight. Place in pot and heat on medium heat until warmed through. Do not boil.

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One Pot Dinner
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1/2 lb bacon
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp dry mustard
2 cans pork and beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can butter beans
1 lb hamburger
1/2 - 1 cup ketchup
1 – 3 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp liquid smoke

Brown bacon, onion, and hamburger; add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour OR cook in slow cooker on low 4 -5 hours.

++Prior to this week I have never made this on the stove. It turned out just as good. I bet it will taste even better as leftovers though.

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Cheddar Cheese Bread
from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures
Print Recipe

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 oz of cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp butter melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350. Generously grease a 9×5 loaf pan with oil. In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Carefully stir in cheese cubes until cheese is well coated. In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. Fold the milk mixture into the flour/cheese mixture. Stir just until combined, do not over stir. The mixture will be thick. Pour/spread into greased loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, scrape around edges with a knife, and then remove from pan. Let cool one hour before slicing and serving.

++This was a great addition to the One Pot Dinner. It has a slight biscuit flavor to it. I think next time I might add some garlic salt or onion salt to it. (I say that like I know what I am talking about. I know it was missing something and I figure onion/garlic salt more often than not make food better.)

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Shrimp Scampi
from PE
Print Recipe

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
olive oil
garlic, minced (a lot)
butter(some)
whipping cream (some)
grated Parmesan cheese (some)
grated parmigiano reggiano (some)

Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan. Add garlic and saute until tender and fragrant. Add some butter and some whipping cream. Stirring continuously add cheeses and stir until creamy. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink. Serve over spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

For leftovers, heat on medium heat in microwave stirring frequently. Add extra cheese including shredded asiago.

++You have to love how PE gives me measurements for his recipes. The only thing that matters is that it tasted delicious. I hope you can replicate it in one form or another because you are missing out if you don't try.

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Arizona Sugar Cookies
from Grandma
Print Recipe

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 - 3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp salt

Combine shortening, butter, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

++PE adds extra flour until it reaches the "right" consistency. Which (according to PE) can only be reached by mixing it by hand. I usually add 2 cups and call it good that is why PE makes the cookies more often than I.

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Peach Cobbler Part Deux and Rainy Day Dinner

I made a different peach cobbler last night. I thought it was better than the previous cobbler; however, it was still a little sweet. (PE thought it was good but didn't have a preference of one over the other.)

Peach Cobbler II
from How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
Print Recipe

six peaches, pealed and pitted
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish while the oven pre-heats it to 350°. Slice the peaches into bite-sized pieces into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup of sugar and mix. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk and stir it all together. Remove the baking dish with melted butter from the oven. Distribute the peaches evenly over the butter. Pour the batter over the fruit but don't stir it. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes, until the batter is golden brown and developing cracks in the surface. Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

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For dinner we had frozen Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup (frozen in March or so), salad, and Beer Bread. Delicious! It was the perfect meal for this rainy day.

Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup
from Sparky
Print Recipe

2 – 3 broccoli heads, coarsely chop off the florets OR
frozen broccoli OR frozen broccoli & cauliflower mix
9 cups water
5 – 6 Tbsp bouillon granules
1 cube butter
1 onion, finely chopped in food processor
1 cup flour
2 cups whipping cream
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 (16 oz) pkg. Velveeta

In a large pot over medium heat, bring water to a boil and add bouillon granules and broccoli, reduce heat and simmer broccoli for about 10 minutes. In a separate skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the flour to the onions and stir well, forming a thick paste. Gradually add the cream and stir until thick. Add this mixture to the broccoli mixture in the pot and stir well. Add salt and pepper. Then add the cheese, stirring until melted. (Do NOT let it boil! This will break down the cheese and it will become grainy. Just keep it on a low heat until the cheese is melted.) Serve.

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Salad

lettuce (Romaine, spinach, spring mix, whatever) - 2-3 cups per person
1 clementine per person
roasted sunflower seeds (no salt)
honey roasted peanuts
dressing of choice

I know you can make your own salad, but I always find it helpful to get topping ideas.

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Moo baked the bread by herself. It turned out wonderfully. I find it better for all involved if I have her cook/bake when I am not here or at least not present in the room. On my more patient days I will

Beer Bread
from Sparky
Print Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1 bottle of honey-wheat beer*
3 Tbsp butter, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 5 bread pan. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar in medium bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour beer in the well. Stir until just combined. Spread dough in bread pan. Pour melted butter over dough. Bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

*Any type of beer can be used. We prefer honey-wheat. Also, for those who may not know. . . the alcohol will bake out.

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There you have it a delicious and easy dinner.

Gimp or Hobble Whatever You Call It I'm an Expert

Even with the gimping I was able to do some cooking/baking yesterday and today. Last night I made dinner since Hunting W. was not home and then I made the cobbler I had been craving since I received the peaches on Wednesday. Today, I made breakfast because my ankle was feeling pretty good and then I made some things using the Amish Friendship Bread Starter which made my ankle feel pretty NOT good. So, while I have more plans for the day, I don't know how far I will get with them because I am not sure how much I want to pay for it.

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Stroganoff Melts
from Cooking During Stolen Moments
Print Recipe

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (optional)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp thyme
4 oz cream cheese
french bread, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, brown ground beef , onion and optional mushrooms. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in beef broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Place sliced french bread on a baking sheet. Cover each with some of the stroganoff mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until french bread is toasty and cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes.

++This was very tasty. I happened across it two times as I was reading the recipes in my blog reader and thought I would try it. The original recipe called for English muffins but I thought french bread sounded so much better.

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Peach Cobbler I
from eHow.com
Print Recipe

5 peaches, pealed, pitted, diced
1 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar dissolved
1 box of yellow or vanilla cake mix
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, sugar, cake mix, and nutmeg. Mix with fingers or fork until mixture becomes crumbly. Grease bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spread half of cake mixture on the bottom of the pan--don't pack. Spread peaches and pour juice over the cake mixture. Sprinkle remaining mixture over peaches and bake for 35 minutes or until browned. Serve warm with ice cream.

++ This was too sweet. It was delicious for the first couple bites then became too much. The additional sugar I am sure added to this--cake mix is sweet enough straight out of the box. Too bad I didn't think of that before everything was all said and done. I also didn't see where the cinnamon came into play in the recipe so I didn't add it, that may have decreased a bit of the sweetness had it been added, I am not sure though. I will not make this again but someone out there might like it. I think I will try another one tonight.

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Sour Cream Waffles
from The Sisters' Cafe
Print Recipe

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (1 cube) butter, melted
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream (can use light)
3 large eggs

Heat waffle iron. Lightly oil grids. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the center. Whisk the melted butter, milk and sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into well. Whisk until smooth, do not over mix. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of each quadrant of the waffle iron and close the iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Serve the waffles hot, with the homemade syrup passed on the side.

++I served diced peaches on the side and they were a delicious addition. PE even liked these waffles which I consider a plus because waffles aren't his favorite and I have a difficult time finding any from scratch recipes he likes.

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Amish Friendship Bread
from Allrecipes
Print Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, set aside In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Amish Friendship Starter, eggs, oil and vanilla. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Finally stir in the chopped nuts and apples. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

**I made two batches of this. One with the apples and one with grated zucchini. For both batches I divided the dough into two pans (four total) and stirred the walnuts into one pan of each type.

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Amish Cornbread
from Armchair World
Print Recipe

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal

Combine in large bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add:
1/4 cup oil
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Mix well. Pour in well-greased 9" pan. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes.

++This came out a bit darker than other cornbread I have made but had an okay taste to it. The consistency is not as smooth as the cornbread I posted previously but still pretty good.

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From August until February Hunting W. hunts. It starts in August with elk and deer archery then moves onto various birds and small game until February. We do not eat everything he shoots. Thankfully he is pickier about the game he eats than some other hunters I know. In addition he knows pretty tasty ways to cook the game we do eat and he totally understands when I don't like something. Oft times it is a texture thing with me. A lot of game is too slimy or grainy. One of my favorites is pheasant. It tastes a lot like chicken. I will share our favorite recipe for pheasant when we make it later in the season. Yesterday Hunting W. shot three blue grouse--one of the grouse he will eat (he will also eat ruffed grouse but he will not eat sharp-tailed or sage grouse). I just follow his lead with most of the game because I haven't eaten it before. So, below I give you a recipe concocted in Hunting W.'s head.

Blue Grouse a la Hunting W.
6 Blue Grouse breasts
6 slices of bacon
1 can diced green chiles
8 oz cream cheese
6 slices of swiss or provolone cheese

Soak breasts in salt water* overnight (this helps get rid of the blood). Combine green chiles and cream cheese. Slit breasts. Place some of the cream cheese mixture in the breast with a piece of cheese. Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Grill until cooked through.

*1 tsp to 6 cups water

++These were better than anticipated. They were a little tougher than chicken because the birds use their breasts when flying unlike chickens who just walk around and don't do much flying. I bet this would be a delicious way to cook any bird--I am going to have him try it with some chicken breasts.

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That is all for now but one way or another I will be making another peach cobbler tonight . . . I have to fulfill the craving.

Gonna Eat Me a Lot of Peaches

Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of peaches, peaches for free. (Name that song.) Sadly enough, oft times when I start my posts there is a song in my head and the songs are usually slightly lame but I guess that just sort of goes with the territory. Anyway, onto the peaches. . .

My lovely sister, Cooking W., so kindly thought of me when a friend of hers had extra peaches. So, yesterday I went home to a half bushel of ripe, fragrant peaches with the intent of getting some in the freezer. Three hours later I had all but seven peaches taken care of. (Those seven peaches are for eating fresh. I told K2 I would bring her a couple peaches and I saved some for peaches and cream.) Most of the peaches are diced and in the freezer with some in the refrigerator. Here is what I did to prep them. . .

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Freezing Peaches
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 pot boiling water
1 slotted spoon
1 big bowl ice water
3 medium bowls (1 for peaches, 1 for peach skins and bruised flesh--feed chickens or compost, 1 for pits--garbage)
2-3 lemons
very light syrup (1/2 cup sugar dissolved in 5 cups water)**
quart freezer bags
half bushel of peaches

Place 6 to 7 peaches in the boiling water. Boil for 20-30 seconds. Using slotted spoon remove peaches from boiling water and place in ice water. Remove peaches from ice water and peel by pinching the skin and pulling off (most of the skin should come off in one piece). Cut peaches as desired (I diced all of mine), I discarded any bruised flesh, I am not sure if it was necessary or not so if you have input, let me know. Repeat until you have about 8 cups of peaches (I used a container I knew was 8 cups). Slice 1 lemon in half and squeeze each half (cut side up so the seeds don't get in the peaches) over the peaches. Stir to coat all peaches--this prevents the peaches from browning. Scoop 2 cups of peaches (about what would be in a can of peaches) into a quart bag. Pour about 1/2 to 1 cup of light syrup over the peaches. Seal the bag removing as much air as possible. Repeat until you have emptied the bowl. Repeat the entire process until all peaches are ready to be frozen. ALTERNATIVE: After stiring in the lemon juice, place the diced peaches on a Silpat lined baking pan to freeze them. Once frozen place peaches in a freezer bag. (This is perfect for adding peaches to yogurt or smoothies.)

I now have 11 bags and 1 tray in the freezer, I used two cups of peaches to make Peach Bread (recipe below), and I reserved 2-3 cups for making peach cobbler tonight (once I decide on and make the cobbler, I will post the recipe).

**I have been wanting to preserve fruit; however, I have not wanted to get into canning because I thought the sugar in the syrup would detract from the healthiness (oh, and I don't own any of the stuff you use to can). I did a little reading and found that using a very light syrup approximates the natural sugar level in most fruits and adds few calories. This small quantity of sugar also helps the peaches retain their natural colour and texture. So I felt better about it. Yes, I know I could use Splenda, but I like to share food I make with friends and family and I know several who do not tolerate Splenda (it upsets their stomachs or leaves a nasty taste in their mouths). That whole surgar thing is my issue with making freezer jam. Yes, it is delicious but the amount of sugar is re.dic.u.lous.

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I had the pleasure of spending Wednesday evening at KLB's house. We had a delightful time talking, laughing at my kids, and watching SYTYCD and Glee. Then the joy for the week continued when she agreed to come to my house after work last night! Her timing was perfect, I had finished with the peaches and was finishing up the bread to get it in the oven. We had a nice time just visiting. I am really looking forward to our plans of hanging out once a week. I have the kids in a class down the street from her house so it works out great to hang out with her after their class on Wednesdays, so that is the plan until the end of October.

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Why no recipes since Monday? Here is the wrap up from this week:
Tuesday - PE grilled bacon wrapped tenderloin with minced garlic and squash seasoned with olive oil and season salt
Wednesday - Chili Mac from freezer meal exchange (more on that later this month) prepared and served at KLB's house
Thursday - PE grilled hot dogs and Moo served salad
Friday (tonight) - Who knows

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Fresh Peach Bread
from Tasty Kitchen
Print Recipe

3 whole eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup canola oil
2 cups fresh peaches, peeled-pitted-diced
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 dash allspice
1/2 cups chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 - 8 x 4 loaf pans. Beat eggs lightly. Blend in sugar, oil, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the peaches and nuts. Pour into the pans. Cook for 1 hour or until tester comes out clean.

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I think that is everything that needed to be covered and as always, if you want more information on something I did, let me know.

Have a great Friday!

Are You Ready?

Yes, I'm ready. . .(Can you hear the song in your head? Those are the only lines I know.) Anyway, here we go with a marathon of posts to catch up with everything I cooked/baked over the weekend and Bob's birthday--in no particular order. As I post these recipes you will see that food blogs are a favorite of mine. Why reinvent the wheel, right? If the recipes are there why try to screw up new ones?

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Cornbread
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 cup cornmeal (freshly ground highly recommended)
3 cups flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup oil
6 Tbsp butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny). Bake in an 9 x 13 pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

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Zucchini Muffins with Dried Cranberries
from Real Mom Kitchen
Print Recipe

nonstick cooking spray*
1 3/4 cups shredded zucchini**
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
fresh ground nutmeg - just a bit
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2-3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat muffin pans (24 muffins) with cooking spray or use muffin papers, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs. Into a small bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and stir to combine well. Stir in grated zucchini and dried cranberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from muffin pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

*In an effort to be frugal NEVER purchase non-stick spray from the dollar store. Not only does it smell funny and contain 4 times the ingredients of a regular Canola oil but one of those ingredients is propane. Propane?!? Are you kidding me? The can is now in the trash. I don't even want to use it for emergencies.

**Grate zucchini using the small holes of a box grater. Squeeze juice from zucchini. (I use my hands but you can use paper towels or cheese cloth.) You can save the zucchini juice to water plants or freeze and use as part of vegetable broth--use your imagination and try it out in other things too.

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Oatmeal Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins
from Kara's Kitchen Creations
Print Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick oats
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini*
1 cup cinnamon chips

Stir together dry ingredients. Whisk eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and chips and mix well. Fill well greased or paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Cool in pans for about 5 minutes, then remove and cool on cooling racks.

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Morning Glory Zucchini Bread
from Morning Glory Farm, and the Family that Feeds and Island
Print Recipe

2 to 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
chocolate chips (if desired)
chopped nuts (if desired)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 9 x 5 bread pans with nonstick spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Beat sugar into mix until it is thoroughly creamed. Once liquids and sugar are well mixed, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until batter is well blended and even in texture. The batter should be smooth, outside the zucchini shreds. If it’s not, add a little juice from the zucchini.Pour batter evenly into pans. (If you only want nuts and or chocolate chips in one loaf you can stir them in once the batter is in the pan.) Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until bread is brown and springs back when gently pressed in the middle.

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Muffins can be made from a bread recipe by scooping dough into muffin tins and decreasing the bake time (almost half the time). Bread can be made from a muffin recipe by using a bread pan and increasing the bake time (almost double the time).

Once you have baked the muffins and/or bread you can freeze them for later. So you can enjoy the benefits of a big baking day for weeks.

I don't want the post to be too long so I will post more with the other recipes.

More Garden Goodness

Zucchini/squash is delicious! (Technically zucchini is a squash so that is a bit redundant but some of my plants said squash and some said zucchini and I used both. And now that I have mentioned it when a recipe calls for zucchini, yellow zucchini or yellow squash can be used interchangeably ) We love it. Of course we haven't gotten to the point of sneaking it onto the neighbors porches either. In truth, I have had to beg for some from my sister. My three/four plants just aren't producing as I had hoped they would. I have still had ample opportunity to try out many zucchini/squash recipes.

Over the weekend I baked Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, Zucchini Bread, and Zucchini Spoon Bread Casserole (second appearance on the menu--already a family favorite). Everything turned out great at least in tastiness. As far as looks went. . . boy oh boy you should be very glad I do not post pictures. While tasty, the cupcakes looked HIDEOUS.

K2, a friend at work, questioned me as to what spoon bread is. So, I looked it up and from what I can find, the recipe I am going to share is not technically a spoon bread as it does not contain corn meal. If you want to read more click here.

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Zucchini Spoon Bread Casserole
from Sparky
Print Recipe

5 medium zucchini, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup Copycat Bisquick mix
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
3 eggs beaten in 1/2 cup oil

In a large bowl, combine zucchini, onion, and cheese. Add copycat Bisquick mix, salt, pepper, and oregano. Add eggs and oil and mix thoroughly. Bake in a greased casserole dish at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. 2 cups of lobster or crab meat can be added to make it a meal instead of a side dish.

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Chocolate-Zucchini Cupcakes
adapted from allrecipes.com
Print Recipe

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar for about 10 minutes or until thickened and pale. Blend oil and cooled chocolate into the beaten egg mixture. In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just blended. Stir in zucchini and mini chocolate chips. Using an ice-cream scoop, spoon batter into 24 paper-lined or greased muffin cups, filling the cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; let cool completely. Spread with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and garnish with walnuts.


Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) at room temperature
4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix in cocoa powder. Spread or pipe onto Chocolate-Zucchini Cupcakes.

These looked hideous because they sort of spread out and then sunk. I have a few theories as to why that occurred and I will be making these again so I will let you know if they look less hideous next time. Of course I will also have to greatly improve upon my frosting technique by then too.

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Zucchini Bread
from Sparky
Print Recipe

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups raw, peeled, grated zucchini
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 loaf pans. (9 x 5 pans are fine too, the loaves will just be a little shorter.) Beat eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer until foamy. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in zucchini. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add into zucchini mixture and beat on low until combined. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Run a butter knife around the edge of the loaves, cool for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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Everything was delicious and again it was nice to use items from my garden, not to mention it is easier to justify eating a chocolate cupcake when it has zucchini in it. Best thing of all is I can get Bob to eat zucchini when it is in bread or cupcakes. Now I just need to figure out something like that for broccoli.

Have a great day!

Ribs and Banana Bread

One word that will help you with the transition from no life with Sparky to blogging with Sparky is RANDOM. That is truly one of the best words to describe me. I ask random questions, spout off with random observations, randomly start up unfinished stories, randomly bring up topics that haven't been mentioned for hours or days (my husband loves that about me), and as will be proved by this post, I pair random items.

Tonight we had grilled ribs rubbed with Secret Rib Rub, salad, and then Banana Bread made with mashed bananas. I totally could have had the post dedicated to the ribs by including the two recipes for barbecue sauce but NO. That would be way to normal, common, whatever. Not to mention I would have not been able to name it Rub and Mash. So onto the recipes.

We really enjoy boneless country style pork ribs. Especially since we started using a charcoal grill and it doesn't hurt that they go on sale quite often too. The best way to cook ribs is to boil them for 20-30 minutes. (Add garlic salt to the water while the ribs are boiling for extra deliciousness.) Remove the ribs from the water. Season as desired (might I suggest using the rib rub below) and then grill. Two or three minutes before you remove the ribs from the grill baste with barbecue sauce (two recipes will follow shortly).

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Secret Rib Rub
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme*
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp coriander

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container until needed. Before grilling rub the meat (whether it be chicken, ribs, or pork chops) with the rub.

*If you are using thyme leaves. I recommend using a mortar and pestle to grind the thyme before adding it.

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Banana Bread
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Cream sugar and margarine. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients and add to wet mixture. Add nuts. Grease* 1 loaf pan. Pour mix into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

*I sprayed my pan with a canola oil spray and while the sides did not stick, the bottom did. This did not change the great flavor; however, it did not make for a very nice looking bread--again why I do not take pictures. I ate the bread stuck in the pan with a spoon and it was delicious!

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I LOVE banana bread and it is usually uncommon for bananas to last long enough to turn brown in our house. (Yes, I know you can purchase over ripe bananas from the grocery store; however, the one time I saw them they didn't have a price and I was too lazy to find someone to help me find a price. Besides, I knew we had some close to banana bread/cookie/cake/cupcake ripeness. I would totally ask if I really wanted to make a banana cake though.) I am very happy that we have not been eating all of the bananas lately so that we have been able to make some delicious banana treats. I will share more on those another day. For now I have to end so I can get going on the barbecue sauce post.