Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 sm. zucchini (about 1/2 lb. total) or 2 c. grated
4 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 (8 x 4) loaf pans. (Or, prepare muffin pans)

Grate zucchini. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another bowl, combine zucchini except the chocolate chips. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely. Bake muffins about 20 minutes, about 10 minutes for mini-muffins.

For a single batch, I got 2 dozen regular-sized muffins & 2 dozen mini-muffins. Muffins freeze well & reheat/thaw easily in microwave.

For more fiber, use 1/2 whole wheat flour & 1/2 white flour. Optional: add 1/2 c. wheat germ, 1/2 c. flax seed, 1-2 Tbs more milk, and double baking powder.

Cheezy Hashbrown Casserole

1 bag Hashbrown potatoes (shredded or cubes)
1lb Cheese, shredded (your favorite or a combo of cheeses)
Cubed ham or cooked chicken
1 can cream soup (I use cream of chicken)
1 can evaporated milk (sometimes use just milk & omit soup)
onion powder
garlic powder
parsley flakes

Mix soup and milk, then season according to your taste with spices. Add cheese & combine well. Stir in potatoes & ham/chicken until everything is well coated & evenly distributed. Put in a greased casserole dish & bake @ 375 for 45 minutes to an hour. It's done when the edges start getting brown & crispy (my fave!) and the middle is hot & bubbly. Leftovers reheat well for breakfast or lunch.

Mom's Enchiladas

1 Can Rosarita Enchilada Sauce
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb hamburger
1 lb shredded cheese
16-18 corn tortillas
canola oil

Fry the torillas in oil shortly to make them pliable. Set aside to cool.

Brown hamburger & drain. Add cream of mushroom soup & enchilada sauce. (You can leave the sauce thick, or dilute a little with a can of water.) Mix well. Place about 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of casserole dish (sprayed first with baking spray) or a 9" X 13" pan.

For enchiladas, put cheese on one edge of tortilla & roll up. Place in dish on sauce. Continue until all tortillas are rolled.

Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with any remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly. (If sauce is hot to begin with, bake for less time. If not, add a little baking time.)

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash - about 3 lbs, cooked & mashed (I cooked mine a while ago & put it in the freezer)
2 Tbs. Butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2-4 C. chicken broth/stock
2 C. Apple cider/juice
Salt & pepper

Sautte onions in butter until carmelized & sweet. Add garlic & cook for a minute to mellow the flavor. Add 2 C. apple cider, 2 C. broth and cooked squash. Use immersion blender to make smooth consitency. Simmer a few minutes until flavors combine. If needed, add more broth to achieve desired consitency. Add salt & pepper to taste.

It was really yummy. The sweetness of the apple cider compliments the savory flavor of the garlic. Mmmm...I was inspired by some recipes on the internet. Some were very simple. Others more complex. I did find one that actually used apples. This is what I ended up with.

Apple Pie Kits

Wash apples

Peel, core, and slice apples

Put 6 cups of apples in ziplock bag with 1 c. sugar, 2 t. cinnamon, 2 T. all-purpose flour, 1/2 t. allspice

Zip the bag shut and shake coating apples.

Label bags & Freeze

EASY APPLE SKILLET

4 - 6 servings
4 med. potatoes (peel if desired), cut in 1/4" strips
2 med. apples, cored and chopped
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. sliced celery
1 C. (4 oz) low-fat cheese shredded

Treat non-stick skillet with a few drops of oil or a non-stick spray. Sprinkle potatoes with salt (if desired) and pepper. Put in skillet with apples, onions and celery. Stir lightly. Cover and simmer on low until tender, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Sprinkle cheese over top. Serve immediately.

Apple Pecan Crisp

From Betty Crocker

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:50 min
Makes:8 servings

Fruit Mixture
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups sliced peeled Golden Delicious apples (6 medium)

Topping
1 cup Gold Medal® self-rising flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
10 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and the cinnamon. Add apples; stir to coat evenly. Pour into baking dish.

2. In medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour and the brown sugar. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and pecans. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over fruit mixture.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375°F. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apple-Cherry Stuffing

From Betty Crocker

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:8 hr 15 min
Makes:6 servings

1 package (6 ounces) herb stuffing mix
2 medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium tart cooking apple, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)
6 pork boneless loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick

1. Spray inside of 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients except pork. Place half of the stuffing mixture in slow cooker; top with pork. Spoon remaining stuffing mixture over pork.

3. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender. Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.

Strawberry Applesauce

About 20 good sized Macintosh Apples
1 1/2 C. Apple Cider or Juice
16 oz. Strawberries
3/4 C. Sugar

I used a peeler/corer/slicer tool, then cut each apple in half. Put them in the pot with the cider/juice & cook until tender. When the apples were halfway tender, I added the strawberries & cooked until everything was soft. I did sweeten this batch. I think I added 3/4 C. of sugar.

Depending on how chunky/smooth you like applesauce, use a potato masher, immersion blender, food processor or food mill to process.

This made about 16 C. of applesauce. I put 3 C. each in freezer bags to store. Chill in refrigerator before freezing.

Unsweetened Applesauce

About 10 good sized Macintosh Apples
1 C. Apple Cider or Juice

I used a peeler/corer/slicer tool, then cut each apple in half. Put them in the pot with the cider/juice & cook until tender. Then, depending on how chunky/smooth you like applesauce, use a potato masher, immersion blender, food processor or food mill to process.

I got about 6 C. of applesauce from 10 large apples. I put 3 C. each in freezer bags to store. Chill in refrigerator before freezing.

Peanut Butter Waffle Toast

Haven't tried it yet, but it sounds yummy! A twist on French toast / Waffles.

1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
6 to 8 slices bread
6 to 8 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar, if desired
1. Heat waffle iron; grease with shortening if necessary (or spray with cooking spray before heating).
2. In medium bowl, stir milk, Bisquick mix, peanut butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and egg until well blended. Carefully dip bread into batter on both sides. Place in waffle iron; close lid.
3. Bake about 2 minutes or until steaming stops and "toast" is golden. Carefully remove waffle toast. Sprinkle each waffle with 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and powdered sugar.

Bisquick Chocolate Waffles

1 1/2 c. Bisquick baking mix
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. cocoa
3/4 c. water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 eggs
Optional - 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Beat all ingredients with wire whisk or hand beater until almost smooth. Pour batter from cup or pitcher onto center of hot waffle iron. Bake until steaming stops. Remove waffle carefully.
Serve with vanilla ice cream, sliced peaches, and raspberries or sliced strawberries, sweetened whipped cream, and chocolate-flavored syrup over waffles. Makes 6 servings.

Microwave Caramel Popcorn

1/2 C butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C light corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
You need about 16 C popped popcorn. I used 2 bags of microwave popcorn - which is a little less I think.

Put the popped popcorn into a paper grocery bag.

Place butter, tsp salt, brown sugar & corn syrup into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high 1-2 minutes until caramel mixture bubbles. Stir, then cook 3 minutes more - stirring after each minute.

Add baking soda & vanilla and stir. Pour mixture all over popcorn in paper bag. Fold the bag down several times (so it fits back in microwave) & cook on high 1 minute. Shake the bag.
Cook 1 minute more, then shake.
Cook 30 seconds, then shake.
Cook 30 seconds more & shake again.
Then pour out on the counter to cool (on foil or waxed paper).

Choco-Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

1/2 cup milk
2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
3 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Wipe 1" wide band of butter around the rim of a 3 quart pan to prevent boil-over. Combine milk, sugar, cocoa, butter and peanut butter. Stir and bring to boil over medium heat. Let boil for 1 1/2 minutes, do not stir. Remove from heat. Stir in oats and vanilla. Stir until oats evenly distributed. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper. Cool. Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

Cheesy Apple-Bacon Brunch

1 lb sliced bacon1 medium apple (such as Braeburn, Gala or Honeycrisp), peeled, chopped (1 cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over low heat 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside.
2. In small bowl, mix apple and sugar; spread in baking dish. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and eggs until blended; pour over apple. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon.
3. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Jumpin on the Bandwagon

So, it seems that all (OK, many) of my friends have resorted to putting their favotite recipes online. What a GREAT idea to just create another blog (like I need or have time to manage one more). So, this will be where I try to keep my recipes. Some may not be recipes, but more like throw-together meals that can be tweaked.