Holiday Gifts to Share

The holidays are upon us.  The season of giving….and eating.  Don’t you think we should combine the two?  I’ve always been a firm believer that food makes an excellent gift.  Especially if you have friends that love to eat, but don’t really love to cook.  Something homemade, from your kitchen, is the best way to tell someone you care about them.  You took your time to make something especially for them.  Who doesn’t love that?

Today I have four recipes for you that make treats that are perfect for giving.  I have two recipes for pound cake (using a mix!).  The first is a yummy Egg Nog Pound Cake with a Rum Glaze and the second is a fantastic Gingerbread Pound Cake with a Lemon Glaze.  My third recipe is for Apple Pie Fudge, and my last recipe is for a knock-off of a certain coffee shop’s Cranberry Bars.  Don’t you think that you have a friend who  would love to receive a treat like that?

To make the pound cakes, I use a boxed pound cake mix.  For the Egg Nog Pound Cake, I use rich, thick egg nog instead of water.  I also use an extra egg and melted butter, just like the box calls for.  To make it taste even egg noggier, I add a teaspoon of rum extract and ½ a teaspoon of grated nutmeg.  This cake really does taste just like egg nog!

I top the cakes with a glaze made from powdered sugar and rum….or rum extract if you will be feeding little ones.

I bake my cakes in little mini loaf pans, so I get about 3 per box of cake mix.  I always by the disposable mini loaf pans that come with lids.  Perfect for giving!  And what’s even more perfect is that the cakes were super easy because you used a mix, but nobody will ever know!

I use the same boxed mix for my Gingerbread Pound Cake.  I use milk, eggs, butter and a mix of ground ginger, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground allspice.  I actually keep a little container of these spices around all season long.  I add my gingerbread spice mix to pancakes, waffles, hot chocolate, coffee, etc.  I love this stuff.

The gingerbread Pound Cakes get topped with a glaze made from powdered sugar and lemon juice.  I have always loved gingerbread and lemon together, but you could always use milk instead of lemon juice.

My third recipe is my Apple Pie Fudge.  Making candy can be kind of a project (a project most people don’t want any part of), but this fudge is actually really easy as long as you have a candy thermometer.  I combine sugar, milk, corn syrup, apple sauce, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, butter, dried apples and cinnamon chips.  The flavors of apple, spices and cinnamon chips comes together to make this fudge taste just like apple pie, but maybe better??

I start by bringing milk, sugar, corn syrup and apple sauce to a boil in a pot, stirring the whole time.  Then, I reduced the heat to medium and let the mixture come to 235 degrees, which is “soft ball” stage.  Don’t try to do this the old-fashioned way….use a candy thermometer.  And oh yeah, during this part, you don’t stir.

Then, I removed it from the heat and whisked in the butter, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.  Once that was whisked, I had to let it sit for a while to wait for the temperature to drop to 110.  Once it was cooled, I went at it with my hand mixer until the mixture was less shiny and thick.  I know “less shiny” sounds weird, but you really do beat it until it loses its “gloss”.

The last step is to stir in some chopped dried apples and the cinnamon chips.  Then, the whole mixture gets poured into a lightly greased 8x8 pan.  This chills in the fridge for a couple of hours, then it’s good to go.  Package it up in something cute, and you have an amazing gift to give!

Finally, if you are still with me, my last recipe is what I call Cranberry Bars.  Like I said above, it is a knock-off of a famous coffee shop’s cranberry bars.  My version tastes just like ‘em.  And they are so pretty and delicious….the perfect gift!

The bars start with a cookie crust.  The usual suspects are in this cookie crust….sugar, flour, butter, etc.  I also stir in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.  The cookie crust gets topped with an orangy cream cheese frosting that is to die for. The last step is to drizzle more white chocolate over the top and then sprinkle on some more dried cranberries.

These bars just look like the holidays, and they are the perfect gift to give….maybe with a gift card to the coffee place that has gone unnamed?

This holiday season, when you are wondering what to give your child’s teachers, bus driver, the lady that does your nails, etc.  How about some sweet treats?  Like I said above, food is always a great gift!

Egg Nog Pound Cake

1 box pound cake mix

2/3 cup egg nog

½ stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened

3 eggs

2 teaspoons rum extract, divided

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg, divided

2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease loaf pan (I used 3 mini loaf pans-4 ½ x2 ½ x1 ½).

In a mixing bowl, beat together mix, egg nog, softened butter, eggs, 1 teaspoon rum extract and ½ teaspoon nutmeg with a hand mixer.  Beat batter for about 3 minutes.  Pour batter into greased pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cakes cool, whisk together powdered sugar, remaining extract, remaining nutmeg and 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk.  How much you use will depend on your desired consistency.

Drizzle glaze evenly over cooled cakes.

Makes 3 mini cakes.

Gingerbread Pound Cake

1 box pound cake mix

2/3 cup milk

½ stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened

3 eggs

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease loaf pan (I used 3 mini loaf pans-4 ½ x2 ½ x1 ½).

In a mixing bowl, beat together mix, milk, softened butter, eggs, and all spices with a hand mixer.  Beat batter for about 3 minutes.  Pour batter into greased pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cakes cool, whisk together powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.  How much you use will depend on your desired consistency.

Drizzle glaze evenly over cooled cakes.

Makes 3 mini cakes.

 

Apple Pie Fudge

2 ½ cups sugar

 

1 cup whole milk

 

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

 

½ cup apple sauce

 

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

 

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

 

½ cup butter (one stick)

 

½ cup dried apples, chopped

 

¼ cup cinnamon chips

 

In a large sauce pan, bring milk, sugar, apple sauce and corn syrup to a boil over high heat, stirring the entire time.  Once the mixture boils, reduce heat to medium and bring mixture to 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Do not stir mixture.

 

Once mixture hits 235 degrees, remove from heat and whisk in butter, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.  Let mixture sit until it reaches 110 degrees.

 

After the mixture has cooled to 110, beat with hand mixer until mixture is thickened and loses shininess.  Stir in dried apples and cinnamons chips and pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  Let chill for 2 to 3 hours.

Makes 1 8x8 pan.

 

 

Cranberry Bars

2 sticks butter plus ½ stick, softened

1 ¼ brown sugar

3 eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch salt

1 ½ cups flour

1 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 12 ounce bag white chocolate chips

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon orange extract

3 cups powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat together 2 sticks butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add eggs, vanilla, ginger and salt and mix well.  Slowly add in flour.  Once the batter is smooth, stir in ¾ cup dried cranberries and 6 ounces chocolate chips.  Pour into a 9x13 pan that has been lined with foil and greased.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Frosting: 

Cream together ½ stick butter and 4 ounces cream cheese until smooth.  Add orange extract.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar.  Frost cooled bars.

In a microwave safe dish, melt 6 ounces white chocolate chips.  This will take about 45 seconds.  Stir until smooth and drizzle over frosted bars.  Top with the rest of the dried cranberries.

Remove bars from the pan using the edges of the foil.  Cut into bars to serve.

Makes 1 9x13 pan.

 

 

Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Tomorrow is Halloween.  You knew that, right?  Are you ready?  Of course, I’ve been on Pinterest and there is no end to the cute, or spooky, or spooky and cute at the same time, Halloween food.  There are thousands of recipes and ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts and anything else you can think of.  While they are all amazing, all it really does it stress me out because I know there is no way I could make most of it.  And I do this for a living.  As crafty as I am, I just don’t think that I could make Frankenstein cake pops or a cake shaped like a coffin.

I have three last minute Halloween ideas for you today, and I promise, not a one of them is too hard or will add undue stress.  My ideas are cute, or spooky, and ridiculously easy.  You don’t need more than fifteen minutes, and you might already have all the ingredients on hand.  And you know what?  Everyone can be jealous of you for pulling off an effortless Halloween.

My first recipe I want to show you is more of an idea then a recipe.  Every year, I make my little “Cookie Monsters” for my kids and sometimes even for all of the kids in their classes.  I start with already baked chocolate chip cookies, like Chips Ahoy or something similar.  Of course, you can bake your own chocolate chip cookies, but I like that these cookies are all the same shape and size and relatively sturdy. 

I assemble these little monsters by laying down a cookie, bottom side up.  I pipe red and green frosting on to form a tongue and an oozy green monster mouth.  I like to add more frosting towards the back so that the cookie sits open a bit in front when I lay the top cookie on.  I also add candy eyeballs to the top cookie.  I adhere the eyes with either frosting or melted chocolate.  From there, I get creative.  Sometimes I add candy corn for fangs or horns, or licorice strings for hair.  I’ve used sliced almonds for teeth, or even Nerds (the candy) for warts and such.  Basically, whatever you can find, you can use.  Use your imagination.  Sometimes they are funnier, then scary, but that’s ok too.  The bottom line is that kids love them, and they are so easy to put together.

 

My next Halloween treat is actually something that I bust out at most holidays….it really just depends on what cookie cutters I can find.  I like to use my themed cookie cutters to make homemade “strudels”.  They might be more “pop tart” but my kids have always called them strudels.  I use frozen puff pastry as a base for this.  I punch out themed shapes with cookie cutters and I fill these little pockets of goodness with fresh strawberries and chocolate, blueberry jam, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, pizza sauce and cheese, really whatever I have.

I start by punching out a shape from the defrosted puff pastry.  Two really, because I need a top and bottom.  I lay the bottom piece out on a greased tray (you can’t be too careful!) and I layer on my toppings.  For the pumpkins and ghosts I used fresh thinly sliced strawberries and mini chocolate chips.  Once the filling is on the bottom piece, I use a little bit of water to seal the top piece on.  The water acts as glue. 

Then, I cut slits (for eyes and mouths) that will not only make these super cute, they also keep the puff pastry from puffing up too much.  These bake for about fifteen minutes and when they come out of the oven, they are puffed and golden and really, really delicious.  

 

These are also great for an easy breakfast on Christmas Day or Valentine’s Day.  And it gives me an excuse to use one of millions of cookie cutters. Yep, I have a ton and I very rarely make cut-out cookies.

My last recipe is my “Trick or Treat Cider”.  We never go out on Halloween night without this fantastic, spicy cider.  I make it in my slow cooker so it is ready to go for anyone that might drop by or for refills during those long trick or treating runs.  For this cider, I use apple juice, cranberry juice, pear nectar, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, ginger and a couple of clementines.  You could use regular oranges too, if that is what you have.

This is so easy….I literally just throw everything (ok, not literally…that would make a mess), in the slow cooker and let it go for about 3 hours.  The flavors will all meld together over those 3 hours.  The spices, clemetines and ginger will all release their flavors.  Then, I pull the big chunks out and it is ready to go.   I like to serve my cider with whip cream on the top, but you can skip that if you want.  The adults might want a bit of brandy in it too, especially when faced with a long night of trick or treating.  Either way, this stuff tastes like fall in a glass.

I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!  Trick or Treat!

Puffy Pumpkin (or Ghost!) “Strudels”

17.3 ounce box frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted

8 strawberries, thinly sliced

¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay defrosted puff pastry sheets on a floured board.  Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes.  Make sure you have a top and bottom of each shape.

Lay bottom shape down on a greased cookie sheet.  Top with thinly sliced strawberries and a few mini chocolate chips, leaving a rim.  Using your finger, dab water all the way around the rim.  Press top shape onto bottom, sealing with fingers.

Using a sharp knife, cut slits or shapes on the top shape.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Trick or Treat Cider

 

3 cups apple juice

 

3 cups pear cider

 

3 cups cranberry juice

 

4 cinnamon sticks

 

8 whole cloves

 

3 inch piece of peeled ginger

 

2 clementines, cut in half

 

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook for 3 hours.  Remove sticks, cloves, ginger and clementines.  Serve warm.

Makes 9 cups cider

Crepes....Actually Easy!

What is your “go-to” meal?  Do you have one?  You know, that meal that you have in your back pocket.  The one you can cook at a moment’s notice because you know the recipe by heart, and you always have all the ingredients.  I have one, and you might think it’s a strange one because some people think they are too fancy, or something you can’t possible make a meal out of, or maybe you think they are only for breakfast.

Have you guessed yet?  My “go-to” is crepes!  Yep, the thin French pancakes.  Why, you ask?  Because they are ridiculously easy, made from pantry ingredients, can transform leftovers and everybody loves them!  I have yet to find anything that I can’t fill crepes with.  Wait, yes I have.  The Spaghetti crepes didn’t go over well, but they really can be stuffed with pretty much anything within reason.

When I need a good breakfast, or when I come home from work and can’t figure out what to make in a pinch….it’s always crepes.  I tend to stuff them with whatever I can find in the fridge or pantry.  I love rotisserie chicken and broccoli rolled in a delicious crepe and topped with a yummy cheese sauce.  Or melty mozzarella rolled in a savory crepe and then topped with pasta sauce.  I’ve done leftover steak and potatoes, meatloaf, taco meat and cheese, and even just plain old butter and garlic.  For breakfast, I like scrambled eggs and ham topped with cheese sauce (again!) or sweetened cream cheese rolled into a sweet crepe and then topped with strawberry jam and homemade chocolate sauce.

Looking for a great holiday breakfast?  How about pumpkin, cream cheese and powdered sugar blended together, rolled in a crepe and topped with maple syrup?  Or how about stuffing your Thanksgiving leftovers into a crepe and then topping with gravy?  See?  The possibilities are endless!

Let’s talk about the crepes.  First off, don’t be intimidated because they are not hard!  Crepes are flour, eggs, milk, melted butter and a smidge of water.  Don’t you have all of that in your pantry and fridge?  You can also make crepes from packaged baking mix.  Really, the batter is just super thin pancake batter, so it makes sense when you think about it.  I tend to grab the baking mix to make my crepes just so I don’t have to melt butter. If I am making sweet crepes, I add a couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar to the batter.  Savory crepes?  Try dried herbs.

Once you have your batter mixed, you need to grease your pan really well.  I think that is the most important factor when making crepes.  Not a fancy crepe pan….just gold old fashioned butter and oil.  I use a combination of both.  I like the way oil makes the pan super non-stick, but I prefer the taste of butter.

I ladle in about 1/3 a cup of batter into a large skillet.  Then, I swirl the pan until the entire bottom surface of the pan is coated in a thin layer of batter.  Be careful….these cook quickly!  Once the crepe starts to bubble along the edges and lift up, I know it’s time to flip.  I slide the crepe out onto foil, add more oil and butter to the pan, then flip the crepe back in to cook on the other side.  These cook in less than a minute.

Once I have all of my crepes cooked, I put some filling down the middle, roll ‘em up and top with a sauce of some sort.  Sometimes I will also pop them under the broiler to get a browned bubbly top.  Dinner, lunch or breakfast is served.

Above I mentioned cheese sauce and chocolate sauce….this brings me to my “go-to” pantry item.  I always have evaporated canned milk on hand.  You can make so many different sauces with evaporated milk.  I have talked about the cheese sauces I make with evaporated milk here before.  You can find those recipes at www.gourmetrooster.blogspot.com.  If you are after a chocolate sauce…again…..grab the evaporated milk.

For my deep dark chocolate sauce, I pour a can of evaporated milk into a sauce pan with about 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I whisk the two together as the chocolate melts.  At first, you will think that I am nuts because the sauce won’t be a sauce.  It will be a runny mess.  But keep whisking and keep the faith….as the sauce comes to a boil, it will thicken into a luxurious, rich chocolate sauce.  I also add about a tablespoon of butter and some flavored extract in at the end to really gild the lily.  I usually use vanilla, but rum, mint or orange are also delicious.  You can also stir in peanut butter for a crazy good treat.

This chocolate sauce is great on crepes, but it is also fantastic on ice cream, cake, my finger, a spoon…whatever.

 

What do you stuff crepes with?  I bet you could come up with some great ideas!

Easy Crepes

Butter and Oil for cooking

1 cup baking mix

3 eggs

¾ cup milk

For sweet:

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For savory:

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

 

Mix ingredients in a large bowl until smooth.  Let batter sit for about 10 minutes.

Pre-heat a large flat skillet over medium heat.  Add about 1 teaspoon butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan.  Once butter is melted, ladle about 1/3 a cup batter into skillet.  Swirl skillet until batter completely coats the bottom of the pan.  Let crepe cook until edges have large bubbles and start to lift up, about 1 minute.  Loosen edges with a spatula and slide crepe onto a piece of foil.  Add additional butter and oil to the pan.  Flip crepe back into pan to cook second side.  Let second side cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Slide cooked crepe back onto foil.

Repeat with remaining batter.

Makes about 10 crepes.

 

Easy Chocolate Sauce

12 ounces evaporated milk

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons flavored extract

Heat evaporated milk and chocolate chips in a small skillet over medium heat, whisking as the chocolate melts.  Let sauce come to a boil to thicken, about 4 minutes.  Whisk in butter and extract.

Makes about 2 cups.

Pumpkin Caramel Apple Poke Cake

Ummmmmm……Did I just combine all the best fall flavors into one heavenly slice of cake?  I surely did!  By now, you know…I love fall.  And you probably also know that I love cake.  So when I decided to make a cake to celebrate the first few chilly days of fall, it was a no-brainer.  I knew I had to make my Pumpkin Caramel Apple Poke Cake.

Last year, I was trolling around on Pinterest, like I do every morning, and I realized I was seeing an awful lot of recipes for “poke” cakes.  A “poke” cake is a cake that gets holes punched all over it after it comes out of the oven and cools a bit.  Then, a liquid of some sort is poured over the top and because of the holes, it really sinks in and flavors the cake.  Typically, I would see poke cakes made with Jell-O or pudding.  I knew I had to try it with one of my Gourmet Rooster fruit spreads.  I did, and my Pumpkin Caramel Apple Poke cake was born.  It is a pumpkin spice cake, topped with a mixture of my Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread and caramel, then the whole thing gets topped with a rich cream cheese frosting and a drizzle of caramel.  It is ridiculously good and easy too!

I use a box mix for my cake….surprise, surprise.  I use a spice cake mix.  Of course, I doctor it up a bit.  I always use milk instead of water for a box mix, one extra egg and melted butter instead of oil.  This makes for a more tender and richer cake.  It always tastes “homemade”. 

I add about one cup of canned pumpkin to the batter for a good, strong pumpkin flavor.  Don’t use Pumpkin Pie Mix, make sure your can is just pureed pumpkin.  I also added in another tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, because I feel you can never have too much.  Ok, I am sure you probably can….but I haven’t hit that threshold yet.

Once the cakes bakes in a 9x13 baking pan, I let it cool all the way.  Once it has cooled, I poked holes all over the top with the end of a wooden spoon.  Then, I heat up a jar of Whiskey Apple spread on the stovetop.  You can use any flavor apple butter you can get your hands on.  I will still love you.

I mix the apple spread with about half as much caramel, and let the two heat together.  Once the apple spread and caramel are heated through and thoroughly combined, I pour that over the top of the cake.  I set the cake aside and let it do its cake thing for about half an hour.

If you are wondering….no, I don’t make my own caramel.  I buy a jar of the stuff that is found by the ice cream.   

While the cake is absorbing all the yummy flavors of apple and caramel, I get busy with the frosting, which is really super easy.  I like to use boxed cake mix, but I never use canned frosting.  I don’t like the fake sugary taste.  I always make my own frosting.  Mainly because it is so easy, but it also tastes way better.

My cream cheese frosting is just softened butter blended with softened cream cheese, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.  It all gets blended together in a standing mixer or with a hand mixer.  Sometimes I add a splash of cream if I want to thin it out a bit.  This really is perfect cream cheese frosting.  It isn’t too sweet, or too tangy….It is just right.

I top my cake with all of the yummy frosting.  Then, I drizzle some of the leftover caramel sauce all over the top.  I bet some people would like chopped pecans strewn about too.  I am not one of those people….but have at it if you are.

This cake, oh man, this cake….This cake is warm, spicy, sweet, and rich all at the same time.  You will have visions of playing in a pumpkin patch, or drinking hot chocolate by a roaring bonfire, or jumping in a pile of leaves.  Ok, I exaggerate a bit with that, but I’m not exaggerating about how good this cake is! 

 

Pumpkin Caramel Apple Cake

1 box Spice Cake Mix

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

8 ounces Apple Butter (I used Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread)

4 ounces Caramel

Frosting:

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

Caramel for drizzling

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, eggs, milk, melted butter, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice with a hand mixer for two minutes, scraping sides occasionally.  Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean and cake is pulling away from the sides.

Set cake aside to cool for at least an hour.  Once cooled, poke holes all over the top of the cake with the end of a wooden spoon.

In a small sauce pan, heat together apple butter and ½ cup (4 ounces) caramel over medium heat.  Cook until thoroughly mixed and heated through.  Pour mixture over cake and spread evenly with a spatula.  Let cake cool again and absorb apple mixture for at least 30 minutes.

For frosting:

In a large bowl, blend together with a hand mixer, softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly blend in vanilla. Finally, blend in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Spread frosting over top of cake, evenly.  Drizzle with caramel as desired.

Serves 12

 

Zucchini Bread-Two Ways

 

A four pound zucchini.  Yes, you read that right.  My friend gave me a four pound zucchini last week.  She said, “Can you do anything with a really large zucchini?”  I said “of course!”  I figured I could make some roasted zucchini for dinner.  And then I saw it.  I realized I could make roasted zucchini, fried zucchini, zucchini frittata, zucchini pasta….pretty much everything with zucchini.

The first thing I did with my extra-large zucchini was grate half of it.  Now I have zucchini for quick breads, muffins, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, etc.  Quick tip, if adding it to bread….squeeze it dry in paper towels to get rid of the excess moisture.

My favorite way to use up zucchini is to make quick bread with it and then pass it out to friends and neighbors.  People always like to get baked goods, right?  I think so.  And with a four pound zucchini, pretty much everyone that knows me can be sure that they will receive a loaf of quick bread.

I like to make quick breads because quick breads don’t contain any yeast.  They are very cake like. There is no kneading, no rising, no hard stuff basically.   It is perfect for breakfast, or a quick snack.  You can make quick breads sweet or savory.  Today I am going to show you my two favorite quick breads containing zucchini.  That way, if you happen to have too much zucchini laying around because your backyard just flat out produced too much….you can give friends and neighbors bread.  You don’t have to sneak over to their house in the middle of the night and leave zucchini on their porch (I swear I’ve known people that did that with peaches)…..make bread.

My first bread is a savory bread.  It is a cornbread actually but I bake it in a loaf pan.  I use a package of cornbread mix to start.  Yep, there I go using packages again.  But this won’t taste anything but homemade, I promise.  Beyond the cornbread mix, I also use grated zucchini (duh), gruyere cheese, and thyme.  And whatever else the package calls for.

The zucchini gives this bread a fresh almost sweet flavor.  The gruyere is nutty and works perfectly with the sweet corn flavors.  This bread is perfect with soup, salad, even pasta.  I’ve even caught my husband making sandwiches with it.

My second quick bread happens to be my favorite.  Because it is chocolate.  Chocolate Zucchini Banana to be exact.  I start this one with a box of Banana Bread mix.  I add more grated zucchini, unsweetened cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips and vanilla Greek yogurt to this one.  The Greek yogurt gives this bread great moisture and it adds protein to it.  It also allows be to use half the amount of oil.  To me, that makes it health food.

 

One of the greatest things about quick bread, besides what I mentioned above, is that you can easily mix your batter together in one bowl, with no mixers.  You basically mix with a spoon until everything is blended.  I swear it is easier to make then cookies.

If you have a surplus of zucchini, you must make one or both of these breads.  You can give them out, you can freeze them, or you can eat them all at one sitting like I do with the chocolate version.  Don’t laugh….there is zucchini in there so it is super good for me.  Right?

 

Zucchini and Gruyere Cornbread

2 cups Marie Callender’s Cornbread mix

1 cup milk

¼ cup melted butter

1 egg

1 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1 cup gruyere cheese, grated

1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray loaf pan (8x4x2 ½) with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients until just blended.  Pour batter into loaf pan.

Bake at 425 for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown on top a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Serves 8

 

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread

14 ounce box Pillsbury Banana Quick Bread Mix

½ cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt

½ cup water

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry

2 eggs

1/8 cup vegetable oil

½ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a loaf pan (8x4x2 ½) with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together all ingredients.  Pour batter into loaf pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until brown on top and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serves 8

Tacos Anyone?

I realize that I might lean on my slow cooker a little bit too much.  There….I’ve admitted to my problem.  That’s the first step, right?  But it really is the perfect solution when you are leading a busy life, and you have a family that still demands dinner nightly.

I’ve said this before.  We have cheerleading practice, work, school, etc.  Weeknights are hectic.  Especially now that we are back in school.  I have no choice but to utilize my slow cooker a couple of times a week.  If I didn’t, we would be eating dinner closer to midnight then I am comfortable with.

Today I have one of my favorite recipes to show you.  I am going to show you how to make my amazing Pork Al Pastor….slow cooker style.  And admittedly, gringa style.

Pork Al Pastor is pork that is marinated in chilies, such as guajillo and then cooked lengthwise on a spit.  Slices of pineapple and onion are placed on top of the pork so that the flavor infuses the meat as it cooks.  The result is super tender pork that is slightly sweet, tangy and spicy.

This is a popular thing in Mexican taquerias.  The tacos are served with the pork and topped with cilantro and diced onion.  I have found this pork is good in pretty much anything….tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salads, tortas, shoved directly into my mouth, etc.

I, obviously, don’t have a spit in my house.  I use my slow cooker to achieve the tenderness, and I cook the pork in guajillo sauce, onion and crushed pineapple.  There is no need to marinade the meat when you are cooking it all day in the sauce.  Easy and everything is pretty easy to find in your local grocery store.

I start with a four pound pork shoulder.  I place this in my slow cooker on top of a lovely bed of onions.  I think the majority of my slow cooker meals start with a bed of onions.  What can I say….I’m an onion fan.

I pour my guajillo sauce and crushed pineapple over the pork and let it rip for eight to ten hours.  That’s it.  That is the whole recipe.  Tiny recipe, huge flavor.

BTW-I found my guajillo sauce at Safeway, but Wal-Mart has it too.  I used Herdez Red Guajillo Cooking Sauce.  If you can’t find that, enchilada sauce will work just fine.

When the meat is done, it shreds easily.  I usually return it to the pot to soak up even more of the cooking liquid.  I also usually drizzle some of the liquid over the top of whatever I am serving, from tacos to salads….don’t waste that delicious liquid!

I prefer to eat my pork al pastor in a taco with cilantro and onion, but my family likes to eat it their tacos with lettuce, tomato and cheese.  No matter how you fill your taco, you will love this pork.

 

You know what is a perfect end to this meal?  My “Short-cut” churros with Mexican chocolate.  I’m not saying to bust this out on a busy weeknight, but if you are looking to add something to your meal, and you’ve got the time……..I’ve included the recipe for you. 

Pork Al Pastor (Slow Cooker Style)

1 large onion, sliced

4-5 pound boneless pork shoulder

12 ounce jar Red Guajillo Chile sauce, Herdez

20 ounce can crushed pineapple, do not drain liquid

Place sliced onions in the bottom of slow cooker.  Place pork on top of onions.  Pour chile sauce and pineapple over the top.  Do not stir.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Shred meat and return to pot.

Serves 8

 

Shortcut Churros with Mexican Chocolate

 

1 can refrigerated breadsticks

 

Oil to fill deep pot

 

½ cup sugar

 

2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon Cinnamon, divided

 

4 ounces heavy cream

 

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

1 teaspoon almond extract

 

Heat oil in a deep pot to 350 degrees over medium heat.  Deep fry separated breadsticks in hot oil, but

do not crowd pot.  Fry in batches.  Fry breadsticks for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown on

each side.  Drain on paper towels.

Stir together sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.  Dredge hot “churros” in cinnamon sugar.

For Mexican Chocolate:

Heat cream in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds.  Whisk in chocolate chips.  When chocolate is

smooth, whisk in remaining cinnamon and almond extract.  Keep sauce warm and serve with churros.

Serves 6

Ice Cream Time!!

Ice cream is the best in the summer, right?  I’ve always thought so.  And while I try to not maintain an “ice cream only” diet during the summer, I haven’t been doing so well lately.  I have been eating a lot of ice cream.  Sometimes we walk down to the ice cream store after dinner, sometimes we drive to go get fro-yo, but my favorite thing to do is bust out my ice cream maker and make it myself.

I have a pretty basic ice cream maker.  It is made by Cuisinart.  You freeze the inside bowl, pour in your ingredients, and let that baby go for about twenty to thirty minutes.  I tend to always keep the bowl in the freezer during the summertime so I can make ice cream at a moment’s notice.  The bowl has to be in the freezer for at least twenty four hours, and there is nothing worse than wanting to make ice cream and having a warm bowl.  Ok, I am sure there are many, many things that are worse….but hey, when you want ice cream……

Have you ever made homemade ice cream?  There are so many different ways to make a yummy cold treat, and some are definitely harder than others.  The hard way involves egg yolks and tempering and the easy way is more of a dump and mix kind of thing.  But that being said, ice cream is always pretty easy to make.  Even the hard way isn’t all that hard. 

Today I am going to show you three different recipes for ice cream.  Well, one is frozen yogurt, but you get my drift.  I will start with my easiest recipe and work my way down to my hardest.  The one thing you have to have is an ice cream maker.  There really is no way around that.  They aren’t expensive and they are such a great thing to have in the summer.  Your family will love it.  You will love it.

My first recipe is for my Caramel Apple Frozen Yogurt.  I use vanilla Greek yogurt, Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread and cajeta.  I use fat free yogurt, but that is your call.  With all this ice cream eatin’ I’ve been doing to clean it up where I can.

Do you know what cajeta is?  According to the good people at Wikipedia, cajeta is “Mexican confection of thickened syrup usually made of sweetened caramelized milk.”  So it is basically the most delicious caramel you will ever have.  It comes in a small can, and you can find it in the ethnic section of any grocery store.

I pour my yogurt and Whiskey Apple spread into a mixing bowl and whisk it together.  Little tip here….you can use any brand of apple butter you can find.  Of course, I would prefer you use Gourmet Rooster, but I won’t judge.

Once the yogurt and apple spread are mixed, I pour it into my frozen bowl to the ice cream maker and turn that bad boy on.  Of course, your machine might be slightly different than mine, so always follow your machine’s directions.

This goes quickly!  You will have fro-yo in about ten minutes.  When you think the fro-yo is close to being done, pour your cajeta in through the hole at the top of the machine.  If your ice cream maker doesn’t have a hole in the top, turn it off and open it up to scoop in your cajeta.

I add the cajeta at the end so it doesn’t “seize up” while the freezing is going on.  You want your cajeta to disperse throughout the ice cream in a pretty ribbon, not big globs.

The cajeta gives this ice cream a smoky sweetness that works so well with the tangy flavor of the Greek yogurt and the cinnamon spice of the apple spread.  This is fro-yo perfection.

I recommend you eat this fro-yo as soon as it comes out of the ice cream maker.  Homemade fro-yo doesn’t keep well in the freezer.  It will turn into a rock that you couldn’t dream of eating until it defrosts almost back to its non-frozen state.  Science, man.

I call my second ice cream recipe “Lemon Buttermilk Pie”.  A buttermilk pie is a staple in southern cooking.  It is sometimes called a “chess pie” although that usually involves corn meal in the recipe.  My version uses buttermilk, heavy cream, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and little bits of baked, then frozen pie crust.

I start this recipe by baking a premade pie crust.  I buy one of those store bought refrigerated crusts that comes rolled up.  I unroll it, and bake it laid out flat, according to the package directions.  Once it has baked and cooled, I break it up into little pieces.  Then, I freeze those little pieces, usually overnight.

I freeze the pie crust pieces to keep them from just turning into mush in my ice cream maker.  By adding frozen pieces near the end of the mixing/freezing, the pie crust bits stay firm and crunchy.

My next step starts by whisking together buttermilk and heavy cream.  I also whisk in sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.  This mixture gets poured into the frozen bowl of the ice cream maker.  I let this go for about fifteen minutes before I add in the frozen pie crust bits.  I let those mix in while the ice cream finishes freezing.

This ice cream is light and fresh tasting.  The lemon and buttermilk combination is tangy, sour and sweet from the addition of cream and sugar.  The pie crust bits makes you think you are sitting on your porch in Alabama eating a fresh lemon buttermilk pie.

 

 

You’ll notice this ice cream has no eggs.  The high fat content of the cream keeps the ice cream creamy and smooth.  The buttermilk keeps it light.  This is heaven in a bowl in the summertime.

Ok, my last ice cream is the one that takes a bit of work.  And it’s my favorite.  It’s my Dark Chocolate Orange Chip Ice Cream.  It is a combination of dark chocolate, chocolate chips, sugar, eggs, heavy cream, milk, orange extract and orange zest.

I start by whisking together dark chocolate cocoa powder, heavy cream and whole milk.  It will seem like the cocoa powder won’t want to mix in, but have a little faith….it will.  Then, I pour that into a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer, whisking every once in a while.

While that simmers, I whisk together egg yolks, sugar, orange extract and orange zest in a separate bowl.  Once the cream and milk mixture is simmering, I slowly whisk in about a cup of the cream mixture into the egg yolk/sugar mixture.  This will bring the egg yolks closer to the same temperature as the simmering cream.  When the whole enchilada gets mixed together, the yolks won’t scramble.  This is called “tempering”.  Fancy word, easy process.

Once the yolk mixture has some warm cream mixed in, I add the whole yolky mixture to the simmering cream pot.  I let this cook until it is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.  This just means that if you were to drag your finger over the back of the spoon, it would leave a trail.  Easy, easy.

Once the mixture is thickened, I pour it back into a bowl and put that in the freezer to cool off the mixture.  The ice cream maker is good, but not that good.  It can’t make ice cream from hot cream.

I let it sit in the freezer for about a half hour.  Then, I pour it into the frozen bowl of the ice cream maker.  This should turn into ice cream in about thirty minutes.  Once you almost have ice cream, toss some chocolate chips in through the hole in the top.

I have to say, this one really is my favorite.  I love the combination of dark chocolate and orange.  And this ice cream is so rich and creamy.  It is super decadent.

I hope that this talked you into getting an ice cream maker if you don’t already have one.  They are so, so worth it.  Make some ice cream!  It’s a summer must.

 

Caramel Apple Fro-Yo

3 cups Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 cup Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread

½ cup Cajeta (Nestle La Lechera)

Whisk together yogurt and apple spread.  Pour mixture into bowl of ice cream maker.  Run ice cream maker for 10 minutes.  Add cajeta and run for another 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.

Serves 4

 

Lemon Buttermilk Pie Ice Cream

3 cups buttermilk (reduced fat is ok)

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

The zest of 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)

½ cup frozen pie crust bits (bake pre-made pie crust and crumble)

Whisk together buttermilk, heavy cream, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth.  Pour into bowl of ice cream maker.  Run for 15 minutes.  Add frozen pie crust bits and run for another 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.  Serve immediately as “soft-serve” or freeze for firmer consistency.

Serves 4-6

 

Dark Chocolate Orange Chip Ice Cream

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, unsweetened

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons orange extract

The zest of 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons)

½ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, whisk together whole milk, heavy cream and cocoa powder until smooth.  Heat mixture in a sauce pan to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolks, orange extract and orange zest until smooth.  Whisk in 1 cup of the simmering milk mixture.  Whisk until combined.  Add warmed egg mixture to simmering milk, whisking the entire time.  Heat mixture until slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour mixture back into a mixing bowl and freeze for about 3 minutes.  Then, pour mixture into bowl of ice cream maker and run for about 30 minutes. Add chocolate chips and run for another 5 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved.  Serve immediately for “soft-serve” or freeze for firmer consistency.

Serves 4-6