Sweet Zucchini Spice Cake

In case you have an abundance of zucchini to use
Jenn

*From Sharon Norlander of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a finalist in the Cakes Category at the New Mexico State Fair*
Then From My friend Cyndi, who found it published somewhere…

This makes a 2 layer cake, or several small loaves, or great muffins (unfrosted) or cupcakes (frosted)

3 cups grated, peeled zucchini
1 C ground walnuts (Crazy- I’m allergic, but had no reaction to this cake. Didn’t get the recipe until after I’d had it 3 or 4 times)
1 C flaked coconut
4 eggs
1 C vegetable oil
2 T vanilla
2 ½ C granulated sugar
3 C all purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Pineapple Cream cheese Frosting –recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350* Grease and flour 2 10” round cake pans or whatever you are putting them in. Combine Zucchini, walnuts, and coconut; set aside. Beat together eggs, oil, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Beat in granulated sugar. Gradually add combined dry ingredients. Beating well after each addition. Stir in Zucchini mixture. Pour evenly into prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes ( or adjust for the pans you are using) or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean – you all know the drill! Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes. Loosen edges and remove to cool completely (once again this depends on if you are doing a layer cake, cupcakes etc- use your best judgement) If layering, fill between layers with pineapple cream cheese frosting. Frost cake with pineapple cream cheese frosting.

Pineapple cream cheese frosting
Beat together 1- 8oz package softened cream cheese and ½ cup (1 stick) softened butter or margarine in large bowl until creamy. Add 1- 8oz xcan dreained crushed pineapple. Gradually add 1 lb- approx 4 ½ cups powdered sugar beating until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Sweet Corn Tomalito

I LOVE Chevy's restaurant. Their roasted salsa and hot chips. Corn Tomalito. Jalapeno jelly. Flautas. Hot fresh tortillas...but alas they closed in my neck of the woods.
However... A few years ago they had a cookbook, and we were there the night before Mother's Day, and I suspect that my DH was still trying to figure out what to do, so I got a Chevy's cookbook. Here is one of my all time favorites, right in time for Cinco de Mayo. Put this with the Cafe Rio Pork and you'll have a Fabulous Fiesta! For those of you unfamiliar it is kind of like a cross between sweet corn pudding and cornbread.

Sweet Corn Tomalito

6 cups fresh corn or frozen, thawed corn ( I like Costco’s frozen sweet white corn)
¾ c milk
¼ c butter
½ c prepared masa or very scant ½ c masa flour + ½ water to form dough
2/3 c sugar
¾ c cornmeal
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ c milk

Preheat oven to 250*. Blend 3 cups of corn kernels and the milk in a food processor or blender until smooth. Whip the butter, masa, and sugar together in the food processor until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add all ingredients, including the pureed corn and the remaining 3 cups whole corn kernels, and mix well. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Set the pan in a large roasting pan (I use my broiler pan). Pour enough cool water into the roasting pan to reach ¾ inch up the outside of the 9x13 pan. Bake for 1 ½- 2 hours or until the corn mixture is set. Internal temperature should be 175* ( though I have never checked that). Serve hot

Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

I got this recipe a few months a go from a delightful woman in my neighborhood, Vickie W. It quickly became a favorite, and though a little bit labor intensive, worth every bite!

8oz jar sun dried tomatoes packed in oil (sometimes oil and herbs)
1 c diced onion (I usually just add a finely diced onion)
8 cloves garlic minced or pressed
4 chicken breast halves tenderized and cubed
6 oz mushrooms sliced or coarsely chopped
10 oz can black olives sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chicken base
3 c heavy cream
3 Tbsp fresh basil finely chopped (I use kitchen shears)
12 oz penne pasta or other favorite
Good quality Parmesan cheese (Kraft in the green shaker DOES NOT qualify!) this is worth the money


drain the tomatoes, reserving oil. Coarsely chop tomatoes and set aside. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper. Saute using the oil from the tomatoes. Add onion and garlic to the chicken and saute until translucent. Add mushrooms and olives and saute for a few minutes more. Add the cream, tomato base, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until sauce thickens. Add basil just before serving.

While the sauce is reducing cook pasta according to package directions.

Serve the sauce over the past and top with the Parmesan cheese.

YUM! Seves 8-12

Prello Salad

I know, this is really called Pretzel Jell-O Salad. But we are always mixing it up to prello jetzel salad- I have no idea why. So now we just call it Prello salad:)
This is one of my favorites. It is so refreshing and pretty too.
Once while typing this recipe up for a friend, I accidentally told her to add CRAM cheese. She called rather confused, wondering what that was. We laughed for a while over that one!

2 c crushed pretzels
¾ c melted butter
3 Tbsp sugar
Mix and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan bake at 350* (325* for glass pan) for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
8 oz cool whip
Beat sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzels, sealing edges against the edge of the pan.

6 oz raspberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1-10 oz package frozen raspberries
1-10 oz package mixed berries
(or whatever combination Jell-O and fruit you like)
Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Add berries and stir. Allow to sit for 10 minutes (Jell-O should be soft set by then). Pour over cream cheese mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

My variation of Neiman Marcus Cookies

OK you have probably at one time or another heard the urban legend of the lady that has lunch at Neiman Marcus (or one of its ilk) and LOVES the cookies. She asks for the recipe, the waiter asks the chef hes says "sure, for three-fifty". The Lady says great, gets the recipe, then get the bill for three hundred fifty dollars (too bad she didn't have Mr. Alba for math, she would have clued in). She tries to return the recipe, but is told no she had already seen the secret recipe, so she decides to get even and share it with the world. Regardless of the story, these are great cookies, and I've tweaked them so I like them even better!
for more visit http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp
Neiman Marcus actually developed a cookie in response to the legend and posts its recipe free on its website. Follow the link at snopes if you want it.

First some of my cookie rules:
Unless a cookie is supposed to be crisp, like a ginger snap NEVER bake it above 350*. I prefer 325*
Never over bake a cookie. If anything under bake and let it sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes
Papa John is right. Better Ingredients, Better Pizza. The same applies to cookies. You can't put cheap in and expect to get fabulous

2 cups butter (real butter, please!)
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups of blended oatmeal
measure the oatmeal and then blend. I like it with a little bit of texture, not flour like
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
24 oz chocolate chips - I prefer milk chocolate Guittard
8 oz milk chocolate bar- A Hershey's bar works, but if you want something great go to IKEA and get the Marabou bars ( I like the one with Daim, it adds little bits of toffee that melt as you bake it)

Cream butter and both sugars well. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together flour, oatmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix into the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Grate in the chocolate bar. Add chocolate chips. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. bake for 11 minutes at 325*. Makes 12 dozen cookies. Pull these out of the oven just before they are done and let them sit for a couple of minutes to finish "baking" on the pan out of the oven. This helps to keep them soft and chewy

OK so now you are wondering what to do if you don't have a bowl or mixer with that kind of capacity. Before I did, I used to mix the butter, sugar eggs in one large bowl, then I mixed the dry ingredients in another, then divided them to mix 2 smaller batches then added the grated chocolate. Then I divided them again with each other (half from one bowl went into the other bowl and vice versa) to make sure the blend was even. That way I still just used the two bowls that were already dirty, but got an even blend. Then I mixed the chocolate chips in, sometime turning it out onto the counter and "kneading" them in.

Enjoy!

Easter recipes; Raisin Sauce, Cloud 9, Portuguese Sweet Bread

Last night I was reminiscing about Easters past. For me reminiscing usually involves food- no big surprise. I love Easter, it holds so much promise...and the food is so delicious! Ham with brown sugar & raisin sauce. Tender asparagus. Orange Rolls and Sweet Bread. Strawberries in so may varieties of foods. Angel food cake. Cloud nine. Whipped cream. Mmmmm. Several of my Easter recipes come from Jim's family, as well as my own. Eight or nine years ago Jim's Uncle, whom I had never met, as He had lived in the Middle East for may years, was in the U.S. for a few months. Jim's dad was most anxious to go for a visit, and as he and Jim spoke, they decided we'd go for a visit over Easter break. We rented a motor home and drove to Lake Havasu, AZ. (Home to the London Bridge of the Nursery Rhyme). A day or so before we left, My father-in-law gently told me. "I told John you could make an Easter dinner just like mom's. He's really excited!" Well thanks for the notice, at least I had my recipes. I threw a few things into the limited space we had in the RV, and made a shopping list on the way. Interestingly John's wife was from the Middle East also (the only one of his several wives I've ever met), and I found out after the fact that she was not happy at all that a ham was about to be baked in her oven! Everything she'd ever heard about ham was that it was unclean and stinky, etc. She had a very happy surprise awaiting her. The night before dinner, I started the Portuguese Sweet Bread, at least one ingredient I knew I wouldn't have to get was the whiskey. Being a teetotaler myself, I knew John would be able to help me out, and so he did. I got an amazing education in choosing liquor, and I must say, it improved the bread to use something of quality.
The next morning we attended Easter services with John at the Episcopal church, followed by coffee hour and an Easter Egg hunt for the children. I'd put the Ham in before we left and as we cam in Nada asked what the amazing smell was. John said it was the ham, and with a look of pure embarrassment she ran from the room.. It was then that I learned that John and Nada had a big fight the night before about the nasty smelly ham being cooked in her house...OOPS! We added some salads, Mashed potatoes, and asparagus to the menu for a delightful dinner. One of Jim's grandma's specialties was Cloud Nine, which is essentially a meringue topped with berries and whipped cream. It is delicious, so of course we made that for dessert. I have to admit it was fun to see how much this traditional dinner brought back floods of memories for the two brothers. There's just something about food...

Raisin Sauce:
1 cup water
3/4 cup raisins
4-5 whole cloves
Bring to a boil then simmer on low for 10 minutes

Add
3/4 packed brown sugar
2 T cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup cold water
1/4 tsp salt
few grains of pepper

Continue boiling (may need to increase heat) until slightly thickened
Remove from heat and add
1 Tablespoon butter (NOT margarine or something else- BUTTER!)
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (ReaLemon concentrate is fine)
1/4 tsp worchestershire sauce

Serve warm over ham


Cloud 9
6 egg whites beaten very stiff
2 c granulated sugar (I like extra fine)
1 tsp vanilla (clear if possible)
1 tsp vinegar

Add sugar slowly to beaten egg whites. Add vanilla and vinegar. Mix well but carefully. Pour into cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and either spread flat, or for individual serving sizes, drop by large spoonfuls onto parchment paper, I like to make a "nest" shape to hold the berries and cream better. Bake @ 275* for 1 hour, don’t over brown. Turn off oven. Cool in oven with door ajar. Serve with whipped cream and sliced strawberries or other favorite fruit.


Portuguese Sweet Bread:
1/2 c butter
1/2 c crisco shortening (original)
1 yeast cake or 1- 1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 cups scalded milk
2 Tbsp good whiskey
5 eggs
2 Tbsp salt
2 scant cups sugar
10 cups flour

Have butter and Crisco at room temperature. Scald milk (to do this, put milk in a sauce pan on med-high heat. Let it heat until small bubbles form around the edges and steam is rising off the top-just before boiling. It should not boil, but if if does, remove from heat immediately and add a couple of tablespoons of cold milk- this doesn't work for all recipes, but it does for this one). Set aside milk until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. I like to add a pinch or two of sugar for the yeast to feed on, this really helps the yeast stay active. Mix together butter, Crisco, milk, yeast, whiskey, and eggs. Add salt and sugar. Begin adding flour 2 cups at a time. this could take more or less flour depending on any number of things. This makes a dense, slightly sticky, but pliable dough. Cover. Let rise overnight. If 8 hours or less, let rise on counter. If more let rise on counter first couple of hours then transfer to fridge. In the morning, punch down. Separate into fourths. Knead on floured surface and shape into round loaves. Place two each on very lightly sprayed jelly roll pans. Let rise 2-4 hours or until double in size. I like to cover with a light cotton dishtowel. Bake 1 hour at 300*. Don't overbrown or it gets dry. This is great with jelly, toasted, or as french toast (MMMmmmm!)

Heart Attack in a Pan

This has been a favorite for many many years in our house. Thanks to my friend Steph for introducing it to us and for all the years we've tweaked it until we love it even more!


Heart Attack in a Pan
An approximation recipe

About 8-12 oz angel hair pasta
Cook according to pkg directions and put in a 9x13 pan

About 2 or three chicken breasts cut into small pieces
About 6-8 oz mushrooms chopped
About 6 oz butter
Pepper, garlic salt, poultry seasoning (or sage and/or thyme)
Sauté chicken and mushrooms in butter, season according to taste- don't be afraid to season generously. Pour over noodles, don't drain butter.

2 T butter
2 T flour
1 can of chicken broth or 2 c chicken broth from bullion

melt butter, add flour to make a paste, add broth, bring to boil for about 2 minutes to let it thicken (roux or white sauce)stirring almost constantly. Season with garlic salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, sage. I usually make this in the same pan as I sautéed the chicken and mushrooms and that picks up the flavor so I don't add too much in the way of additional seasoning. Pour this over the noodles and chicken/mushroom.
Now pour about a pint of whipping cream over the whole thing and top with lots of shredded cheese- I use Monterey Jack ¾ -1lb

Cover with foil and bake at 350*for 15 min. Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving

Happy cooking!

Ang's fabulous ham 'n' mac 'n' cheese casserole

This is a huge family favorite from my Sister Angela. EVERYONE in your family will eat this, and it is perfect comfort food!

2 c uncooked macaroni

2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups milk

1 1/2- 2+ cups cheese ( I love a good medium or sharp cheddar or even a mix of two or three good cheeses. We've come to really like medium cheddar mixed with Greve, a Swiss type cheese

2 c diced ham

Boil macaroni to barely done -al dente. This works better if the macaroni is not overdone and will hold its shape. While the macaroni cooks melt the butter and add the flour, whisking together. Slowly stir in milk, creating a roux or white sauce. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring to melt. Drain macaroni and stir in cheese sauce. Let it sit a few minutes to let the macaroni fill with the cheese sauce. This works really well if they are both hot. Mix in the diced ham. I really recommend using good quality ham- I love making this with the leftover bits from an Easter spiral sliced ham (hint hint). Pour into a 9x13 casserole and top with more cheese- to your liking. Bake @350* for 25-30 minutes. Comfort food at its finest- Thanks Ang!

Snickers Salad

This may not actually qualify as a salad, but it is a yummy treat and it has apples, so its a salad.

2 boxes instant pudding, We use pistachio for St Patricks day, but French vanilla is also a favorite
2-3 cups of milk depending on how thick you like the sauce
8 oz cool whip
4-6 diced apples I like to mix granny smith and a red variety
12-15 snack size ( not bite size) snickers, or about 4 large ones. I like the snack size because they are easier to chop up.
sliced bananas (optional)

Chop the snickers bars. With the bite size, I usually slice down the middle then across in about 5 pieces. Mix pudding and milk for about 2 minutes. Gently fold in cool whip. Dice apples. I love the apple slicers, so you can easily core and cut the apples into slices and then simply dice them. Stir into the pudiing mixture. Add snickers and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Stir in sliced bananas just before serving, if desired.

Shredded chicken

I love to use shredded chicken in things, as opposed to chopped cubed chicken. So once or twice a month I make shredded chicken and freeze it, because by the time I remember to make it, it's usually too late!

So here is my shredded chicken method:

4-8 chicken breasts (whatever fits in the crock pot) I usually buy my chicken
breasts when the local grocery store runs 40 lb for $55 or something, so I do this the first day I get them and freeze the rest of the chicken breasts to use later, so USUALLY the chicken breasts are frozen, but this works either way
1-2 Tbsp chicken base
1/4 c dehydrated onion
few dashes of garlic salt- maybe 1/2 tsp or to taste
few dashes of poultry seasoning- again 1/2 tsp or to taste
1/4 c water
Place all ingredients in a crock pot. If frozen begin on High for at least 4 hours. I usually do 6 hours on high, then 2-4 hours on low. The house smells amazing all day. After the first 6 hours or so, I use a couple of forks to shred what I can so that it all simmers for the next 2-4 hours in the broth. Cool completely and portion it into Ziploc bags or , if you are lucky and have a sealer, it works great! Freeze for later use.

Some of my favorite ways to use this are for salads, especially Won ton Salad, Chicken and cream cheese rolls, stir fry, soups, BBQ chicken, and salsa chicken. The later two I can either do at the last minute, or when I actually plan ahead. I basically for the BBQ or Salsa chicken I just add the chicken then either our favorite BBQ sauce (We LOVE Winger's BBQ sauce which has become available in our local grocery store) or for salsa chicken I just add a can of salsa. With either, if I am using frozen chicken, I add 1/4-1/2 c water.

Danna's Chicken Wonton Salad

Here is one of my FAVORITE salad recipes from my great friend, Danna.

Salad:
2-4 C chicken breast baked and cubed, or shredded (see above post)
1 head iceberg lettuce cut up
1 head romaine lettuce chopped up
4-6 green onions chopped
2 cans sliced water chestnuts, drained
sliced almonds
sesame seeds
1 package egg roll wrappers

Dressing:
1 c vegetable oil
3/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp pepper

Bake egg roll wrappers by brushing a jelly roll pan (I like to use my stoneware baking sheet) with olive oil. place wrappers on the pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake at 400 4-8 minutes until golden brown. Be careful, the second batch on a hot cookie sheet bakes much faster than the first. Or you can fry them in oil, but this way your whole house doesn't smell for days! When cool, crumble egg roll wrappers.
Make salad by tossing together all salad ingredients.
Shake dressing ingredients together vigorously- this can be done ahead of time to let ingredients blend, if desired. Shake vigorously again and pour over salad and toss JUST before serving!

Cafe Rio Pork

Café Rio Style Pork Barbacoa
Thanks to my friend Cyndi for this recipe. It's definitely a family favorite!

Put a 2-3 lb pork roast or tenderloin in a in a crock pot and cook until very tender (about 8-10 hours on low) Drain off the juice.

Shred pork with a fork and add:
1 can enchilada sauce (about 15 oz)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small can diced green chilies
1 can Coca-Cola (NOT DIET)
1 cup+ brown sugar
salt to taste ( not usually very much)

Cook for at least one more hour, but I prefer to let it simmer another 3-4. If it is still too juicy, I'll put it on the stove and reduce it a bit more, or drain off some sauce before serving.

I like to cook the pork overnight on Saturdays (Except that the the fabulous smell sometimes wakes me up lol !), then add the sauce before church so it simmers for a while before we get home. I love to serve this on the Costco tortillas that you cook yourself, with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and guacamole; or as a salad.
MMmmmmm.

This recipe can be doubled