Zucchini Bread

School has started up again, and that means it's close to FALL! I don't know why, but I always want to cook more when it's fall (okay, I know why... pumpkin, pecans, chili's & soups, sweets for the holidays, warm ovens on cooler days...).
My mom just came for a visit and we hunted for a zucchini bread recipe that had the right spices. We found a delicious one, and just changed the spices up to get what we were craving. I present to you, not one, but two tasty zucchini bread loaves!

 Zucchini Bread

Yields: 2 loaves
Prep time: 20 min.
Cook time: 60 min.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2-3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3 1/2 cups grated zucchini (can use as few as 2)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce (or you can omit this and do 1 cup oil)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8"x4" loaf pans.
2. Shred zucchini, lightly packing it down as you measure it.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix very well.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and powder, and spices. Stir gently to combine.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing as you go, then beat well to fully combine. 
6. With a rubber scraper, stir in shredded zucchini and pecans into the batter and mix well.
7. Pour half of the batter into each prepared pan. 
8. Bake for 45 to 60 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out cleanly.
9. Remove pans and cool on wire racks.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

This bread. So good! And easy! I made a little plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and seasonings to dip the bread into, and I felt like I was at Macaroni Grill. :) Give it a try!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water (100-110 F)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (or pinch of each ground garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour (so dough forms a ball) + extra for kneading
1 egg, whisked + 1 Tbsp. water, for egg wash
dried rosemary, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.
2. In mixing bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 c. flour (adding more later if needed), salt, rosemary, seasonings, and olive oil. Add the bread yeast, sugar water when ready and mix stir until the dough forms a ball.  Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about1 hour.
4. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal dusted parchment paper; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 400 F. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary.
6. Bake on preheated stone for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Makes 1 round loaf.

When I made this, I did it in the morning to have ready for later in the day. After I let it rise for an hour, I put the dough in the fridge. Later I pulled it out and let it sit out a bit to rise a little after I formed the ball. Turned out great!

And here's a tip: I read that the internal temperature of bread should be about 190-200 degrees F, so I tested it with a thermometer before taking it out. Perfect!

Grilled Chicken

It's summer time, and that can't happen without grilled chicken! My husband and I hosted a work party at our house and used our "go-to" marinade recipe for 25 lbs. of chicken (breasts & thighs). It always creates juicy, tender chicken that tastes good with practically any side dish! Many people complimented Ben on his grilling techniques for making such fine chicken, but I knew that it was all thanks to the marinade. :) (...But he is a pretty good with his grill.)

Marinade for Chicken
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. finely minced fresh parsley (I typically do more)

In a small bowl, mix together oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and lemon juice. Stir in dry mustard, salt, pepper, and parsley. Use to marinade chicken--the longer you marinade, the more flavor it will have. This amount serves about 6-8. Happy grilling!

Chicken Breasts with Chive Sauce

Sounds sophisticated, eh? Well I'll let you in on a little secret... my cookbook classifies this as quick and easy. Still somewhat involved, but very doable! You'll use 2 pans, a pot for boiling pasta, and THESE guys:

Chicken Breasts with Chive Sauce  (A Pinch of Salt Lake)

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 tbsp. sliced green onions with tops
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and halved
3 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. butter, softened
1 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives (I used green onions since that's what I have growing out back--basically the same thing!)
*Package of Egg Noodles--the recipe doesn't call for this but I always serve the chicken and sauce over these noodles. If you like the idea, then start the water boiling first so you can throw the noodles in later when you are simmering the chicken. 

In a medium-size skillet sauté mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons butter for 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and set aside.

Slightly flaten chicken breasts. Mix 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper; coat chicken. Sauté chicken in 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes (do not brown). Add chicken broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

Mix 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon softened butter in a small bowl until smooth; stir in 1/4 cup pan juices gradually. Stir flour mixture into remaining juices in skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream gradually. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth. Stir in reserved mushrooms, onions and the snipped chives.

Arrange chicken on a serving platter and spoon part of the sauce over; pass remaining sauce. 

 

Pizza Night!

My kids love it when it's pizza night (and so do I)! I love it from Dominos, Papa Johns... but also from scratch. Here is my go-to pizza dough recipe, compliments of the Pioneer Woman! Her cookbook has slightly different cooking instructions than her blog, so here's the book version... which cooks faster so YOU'RE WELCOME!

Pizza Crust (makes 2 pizza crusts or 1 thick cookie sheet crust)
1 tsp. or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot, but not luke warm) into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit.

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated. Gently stir the yeast/water mixture, then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)

Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (or frozen for up to 6 months).
     *The dough could also be used for "focaccia like bread". Spread it on a cookie sheet, brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and dried herbs (i.e. rosemary, basil, Italian seasonings...)

To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Divide the dough in half. Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan(s). Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing the dough into the pan with your fingers. (Surface of dough will be lumpy from finger marks.)

Lay desired toppings over the dough and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

As for the go-to sauce... I use THIS ONE from my "Our Best Bites" cookbook. Sooooo much better than anything you can find in the grocery store, and tastes similar to a sauce found on delivery pizza! You can also try a pesto pizza with THIS pesto sauce. Pizza is hard to mess up, have fun!

Basil!

Fresh basil is one of my favorite herbs to have on hand! I have it growing in pots out back so I can pick some off anytime to make a great-tasting meal.
Here are a few tips about growing your own basil:
-It needs full sunlight (at least 6 hours), and they are both indoor/outdoor plants.
-Clip any buds or flowers off your plant as soon as you see them. You don't want a bitter taste or your plant to go to seed.
-Pruning your plant makes more basil!


Now onto using it! Let me share a couple of our favorite recipes-- Avocado Basil Pasta and Fresh Basil Pesto!

Avocado Basil Pasta (from Peacocks on My Porch)

8 oz. bow-tie pasta
2 med. avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and coursely chopped
6 slices bacon crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled
2/3 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is ALWAYS best)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a large bowl combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper & salt. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese.

Obviously any kind of small pasta will work!

 

Fresh Basil Pesto

2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. pecans, walnuts or almonds (pine nuts is traditional, but pricey-I use what's in my pantry)
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Combine the basil with the nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. (If your nuts aren't chopped already, pulse them alone first a few times, then add basil.) Add the garlic and pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. (Check the consistency of the pesto and add more oil if it is too thick.) Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

We like to toss this with pasta, or use this as the sauce on home-made pizza! For the latter, I use my go-to pizza dough recipe, spread pesto on top of dough, sprinkle shredded mozzarella (or slices of fresh) all over, and top with bacon (cooked, drained and crumbled) and fresh tomato slices for us grown-ups. My daughter says pesto is her favorite, so kids DO like the green stuff. :)
 

Almond Bars!

One of my most favorite tastes EVER is almond! Anything with marzipan or amaretto immediately grabs my attention! So this little gem of a recipe jumped out at me. It's quick to throw together and always gets raves... if you like almonds. :)

Almond Bars
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter (salted), melted
2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. almond extract
Sliced almonds (optional)

1.  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until lemon-colored.
2.  Add butter, flour and extract; mix well.
3.  Spread into a greased 9x13 pan, and sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. (Recipe suggests sprinkling with powdered sugar, but I omit that and just go for the sliced almonds).

My mouth is watering!