Zucchini Bread

Years and years ago, probably close to two decades in fact, I needed a zucchini bread recipe because someone had grown zucchini and gifted me with more than any person should have. I found this recipe, probably via Allrecipes.com because many of our recipes from that stage of our life did. This one was called "Zucchini Bread IV." I probably found some other recipes, too. This one is fairly easy to make with usually baking items in a well-stocked kitchen. You will note there are walnuts. Below, I show two loaves - a taller one without walnuts (because my Longaberger bread pan makes that shape) and a shorter one with walnuts (because my Bolesławiec bread pan, care of the "Babe collection," makes that shape). My children do not like nuts in their bread, so I made them one loaf without nuts. Conveniently, this recipe makes two loaves, so I simply stirred walnuts into the batter after pouring both pans.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325o. 
2. Grease and flour two 8x4” loaf pans. 
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. 
4. Mix in oil and sugar. 
5. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. 
6. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts in a large bowl; then stir into the egg mixture. 
7. Divide batter into prepared pans. 
8. Bake for 60 to 70 min, or until done.

Notes:

• Serves 24.  
• 231  Calories per slice.

Spicy Zucchini Bread

It's zucchini season. Time for some zucchini bread!

Ingredients:
2 eggs 
1 1/3 cup sugar 
1/3 cup vegetable oil 
2 cups flour 
1 tsp. baking soda 
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
Dash salt 
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. ginger 
1/2 tsp. ground cloves 
1 grated zucchini (grocery store size)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat eggs. 
3. Beat sugar into eggs. 
4. Add oil and mix well. 
5. Sift together dry ingredients. 
6. Add wet ingredients to dry.
7. Stir in zucchini. 
8. Beat until batter is very smooth.
9. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. 
10. Bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle turns out clean. 
11. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Banana Bread

Prior to learning I was allergic to bananas (the hard way), we used to collect banana bread recipes that we thought were especially good. I don't know where this one came from; we've had it for over a decade. Note that when it says bundt pan, it means bundt pan. I lost my bundt pan, so I tried to make it in bread pans. That doesn't work. You must use a bundt pan for this one.

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
3 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
4 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup sour cream
non-stick cooking spray or butter and flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease and flour the pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating for a few seconds after each addition.
5. Add mashed bananas and beat.
6. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
7. Add dry ingredients and sour cream alternately to the banana mixture in the stand mixer. Beat well until all combined.
8. Transfer dough into bundt pan.
9. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Invert onto a cooling rack, and allow cake to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Notes:

• You really do have to use a bundt pan. 
• I would have shown you an actual slice, but my kids were eating them already.

Alton's Crepes

We have a couple crepe recipes. This one is Alton Brown's of the Food Network. I like our other recipe better. This one is a little harder to work with in the actual cooking of the crepe process.

Ingredients
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

Savory Variation: 

1/4 teaspoon salt  

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes

Sweet Variation: 

21/2 tablespoons sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur 

Directions:
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.


Notes:

• For your filling, you can do an egg and sausage or a sweet with berries and sugar. Try your own flavor combinations.

Easy Herb Frittata

I think this came out of one of our quick and easy cooking magazines that we used to get. It's a good all-in-one, with a side of fruit salad, for a breakfast or meal. It's also good for if you are doing a large breakfast or brunch, to put out with all the other things that get made for such a meal.

Ingredients:
8 eggs
2 Tbsp water or milk
4 oz chopped smoked ham
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro + 1 Tbsp sprigs
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350o.  
2. Beat eggs and water with wire whisk in medium bowl.  Stir in ham, 1/2 cup of the cheese and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro. Mix in salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour into greased 9” pie plate or quiche plate; sprinkle with remaining cheese.  
4. Bake 30 min. or until puffy and golden brown.  
5. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
6. Slice into 8 pieces.

Notes:

• Serves 8, 1 slice each.            
• Prep: 5 min., Total: 35 min.
• 120 Calories/serving
• If a little herb-y, decrease the amount of cilantro. 
• Try other herbs to your taste.

Breakfast: Toads in a Hole

The first time we made these was a number of years ago for our daughter and her friends when she had a sleep over for her birthday. This is a pretty easy and quick recipe that is more fun for people to eat than just eggs with a side of bread. Currently, our daughter gets this made for her every morning for breakfast. She'll even eat the crusts on the bread on these (which she doesn't do for sandwiches.)

Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter (more as needed)
Eggs
Sliced Bread
Salt, Pepper, or other seasonings for the egg

Directions:

1. Cut 1.5 - 2 inch circle in the bread.
2. Melt butter over medium/medium-high heat until hot (ie, crackling.)
3. Put bread into the butter and begin to fry. After butter has soaked in the bottom side and is reasonably firm, flip bread.
4. a.  If you want a scrambled type egg, crack egg into a bowl, and scramble. Add seasoning such as salt, pepper, or your preference. (Generally use 1 egg for 1 - 2 bread slices.) Pour scrambled egg into center of bread. If you are trying for perfection (or have multiple slices you are making), fill only the hole. If you have 1 slice and 1 egg, allow egg to pour over onto the bread. b. If want an egg with yolk, crack egg directly into center of bread. Again, if you a striving for perfection, get the yolk and just a little white into the center. If you want to use the entire egg, allow the white to spill over onto the bread.
5. Once the lower side is cooked, the toast is brown and the egg is firm, flip the toast again to cook the other side of the egg and toast the bread.

Notes:

• You can fry up the centers of the toast in butter as well, or you can give it to the dogs (which is our dogs' preferred option.)

Breakfast: Robert Rodriguez' Sin City Breakfast Tacos

These aren't really breakfast for us. These go in the Breakfast for Dinner category. But they are very good.

Ingredients

We make them as burritos, not tacos.

Ingredients:

Tortilla
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 cup warm water, plus additional for dampening tea towel
bacon drippings (optional)

Tacos/Migas/Burritos
large potato, peeled and diced
large tomato
medium white onion, peeled and sliced
green jalapeno, minced
corn tortillas, 4 days old and sliced into strips
5-6 eggs, lightly beaten
corn oil
butter
salt and pepper

Directions:

Tortillas

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your hands until well-mixed and a coarse, sandy texture is achieved. Add warm water and form into a dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is not sticky - it should be smooth and elastic. Make 8 to 10 balls and put these on a baking sheet. Dampen a tea towel with warm water, cover the dough and let rise for 20 minutes. 

Tacos/Migas/Burritos

1. Heat 2 tablespoons corn oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat. Fry the potatoes until soft but not crispy. Add salt and pepper. Scoop the potatoes to a plate lined with a paper towel. Heat 2 tablespoons corn oil in the same pan to fry the tomato, onion and jalapeno until the onion begins to soften. Put aside and keep warm.
2. In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the corn tortilla strips until crispy. Put aside on a plate lined with a paper towel. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in same pan and lightly scramble the eggs.
3. Combine the tomato mixture, corn tortilla strips and eggs on a platter. Put aside and keep warm.
4. 
   
5. Shape the flour tortillas into thin round circles about 6 inches in diameter using a rolling pin. Heat a skillet over medium heat, adding bacon drippings if desired. Cook the tortillas until bubbles form and brown specks appear, about 1 minute. Flip and cook another minute. Keep tortillas warm, stacking them until ready to serve.
6. Divide the potato and egg mixture onto the flour tortillas. Fold in half or burrito-style. Serve and enjoy.

Other Notes:

• The original recipe can be found here.
• Tortillas make 8-10.