A Graduation Preparation!

 So one of my Best Friends Graduated this week with her Masters!! I am sooo proud of her!! She asked me to make the cake and some Appetizers. Well I wasn't sure I could, so committed to the cake, and then about a week before, I said I could pull off the Apps too. Setting out to figure out what I make, I had idea's kind of in my head. I knew I wanted salsa, 2 was my plan, and a simple layer dip, since both go so well with Chips!! oh did I mention she hired Taco Guys, so I went fully on the Mexican Food theme haha. That left 2 other things I wanted to make. I remembered in my fetish collection of cooking magazines that somewhere was one with all Mexican food in it. I tore through them to find it! and Find it I did as well as the other 2 things I decided to make! It was the 2007 Better Homes and Gardens Special issue on Mexican Dishes. Many great things in this Mag, including those I used: Salsa Fresca, Mini Tortilla  Quiches, and Green Chili and Cheese Tamales. That is right, this very white girl is making Tamales!!! I was sooo excited. I have always wanted to make tamales!! so I did!
So.. this very long blog will be that which I made, the next will be the cake lol. I simply do not want to put ALL of that in one. The other Salsa I found in the 2004 Martha Stewart Everyday Food that I have, Roasted tomato Chipotle salsa. The same Everyday Food that I found the Cashew Chicken recipe as well as about 5 other recipes I plan to make from it!! So.. I guess its time for a slew of recipes and the longest post I have yet to have!!! I doubled all of these recipes, but am posting them as singles!

Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

1 1/2 pounds cored and quartered plum tomatoes
1 thinly sliced medium onion
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4tsp ground pepper
1-2 Tbsp chopped Chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Heat broiler. On a broiler pan, or sheet pan, toss tomatoes and onion with oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss well.  Broil until tomatoes are charred in spots, 15-20min; let cool. Transfer tomato mixture to a food processor; add chipotles, cilantro, and lime juice. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Cover and chill. Can be made up to 3 days ahead, store covered in the refrigerator.

Salsa Fresca

1 1/2 c finely chopped tomatoes (2 medium)
1 fresh Anaheim pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or one 4 oz can diced green chile peppers, drained
1/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1/4 c sliced green onions
3-4 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1-2 fresh jalapeno, Serrano, Fresno or banana peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, Anaheim pepper, sweet pepper, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno peppers, garlic, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp ground pepper.
Cover and chill at least 1 hr before serving. Can be made and stored in the Fridge for up to 3 days in advance.
** I went with a very smooth salsa. I put all ingredients in the food processor and hit pulse several times. You can make it as you like. Both salsa's were well liked, but are completely different! Increase the heat by leaving in seeds, and adding more hot peppers to the salsa's!

Mini tortilla Quiches:
(quick note. I had to heat the tortilla rounds for about 20 sec in the microwave to make them pliable for the mini muffin tins. The first 2 tries, the cracked and broke on me. Heating them about 6 at a time worked perfectly.)
Nonstick cooking spray
5 10in plain, spinach or tomato flour tortilla's (I just used plain)
1 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c half and half, or light cream
1/2c sliced green onions
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
sour cream to top them

Preheat oven to 375 ( I ended up turning mine down to 350, the tortilla's browned to quickly so watch them and adjust as necessary.). Lightly coat 32 1 3/4 in muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Using a 3 inch round cutter, cut 32 circles from the tortilla's. gently press one round into each muffin cup, pleating rounds as necessary to fit. Set cups aside. (now.. for me this did not work either, they needed weight to keep them in place. So I made the filling and filled each one as I did the tortilla round. Working with 6 heated rounds at a time. It really didn't take much time, I put the filling in a measuring cup and used my Tbsp measure, make sure you mix it before each use slightly, as the Cilantro likes to settle at the top.)
In a blender or food processor, combine cilantro, half and half, green onions, eggs, salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and blend until the mixture is smooth. Spoon scant Tbsp filling into each tortilla lined muffin cup.
Bake about 15 minutes or until filling is completely set when poked near center with a wooden toothpick. Carefully remove quiches from muffin cups.
Before serving, spoon 1/4 tsp sour cream a top each warm quiche.
These can be made one day ahead. Bake as directed and let cool on cooling racks. Once fully cooled, put in airtight container, and cover. To reheat, place quiches in on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15min or until heated through. Then top with sour cream and serve.
 * very tasty!! even the kids enjoyed eating them! once I made them I thought of all the different idea's I could do with the filling for next time hehe

 Layered Bean Dip!

3 can (16oz) refried beans
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 16oz container Sour Cream
1 16oz jar salsa
2 cups shredded Mexican blend Cheese
1 4oz can sliced black olives
diced red and yellow pepper, about 1/4 c total
1/8c chopped green onion

 In a medium bowl. Mix beans and taco seasoning. Layer beans in the bottom of a large glass bowl/pan. Top with the container of sour cream, carefully smoothing out to cover the beans. On top of the cream, layer the salsa, smoothing out carefully. (I wanted a layer of guacamole at this point, but forgot to buy it!) Sprinkle the cheese ( or as much cheese as you would like) on top of the salsa evenly. Sprinkle the top with chopped green onions and diced peppers. Sprinkle the olives around the edge and put a little bunch in the middle. Chill several hours before serving.

Saving the best for last, I biggest feat!!

Green Chile and Cheese Tamales

48-72 corn husks (it requests fresh, I used dried and softened them in warm water)
1 1/2 c masa harina (corn tortilla flour)
1 c water

1 1/2 c shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 c fresh cut corn kernels, or frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1/2 c canned cream-style corn
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
1/4 c bottled green salsa
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp salt

Place the fresh corn husks, about 12 at a time, and 2 tbsp water in a 9 in glass pie plate. Microwave, covered, on 100 % power for 2 min.
For filling, in a large bowl, stir together masa harina, and the 1 c water until well combined. Stir in chicken, cheese, whole kernel corn, cream style corn, chiles, green salsa, oil and salt.
Drain corn husks well, pat dry with paper towels. To assemble each tamale, lay out two or three fresh corn husks (for a width of at least 6 inches) on a flat surface. Starting about 1 1/2 inches from the narrow end, place 2 tbsp of the filling in the center of the corn husk. Fold in sides to enclose filling. Bring ends together. Tie of tamale securely with strips of corn husk or 100% cotton kitchen string. ( I used 1 husk per tamale. Some were very large. I put the very small ones aside, it was easier for me. I just kept the dried husks in a large rectangle pan of water and worked with them. It was not very difficult, unless they were not pliable enough!)

To prepare steamer, place a cone shaped ball of foil in the center of a steamer basket. Stand tamales upright in basket. (dont pack tamales too tightly, but fill the basket. Place about 1 1/2 inces of water in bottom of steamer or dutch oven. Place basket over water. Bring water to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and steam for 30 minutes. Carefully remove tamales from steamer. Let stand 5-10 min before serving. tamales get firmer as they cool. Once cooled, you can cover tightly and freeze your tamales. To reheat, place frozen tamales in prepared steamer basket, and steam for about 20 min or until heated through.

 ( I have a large canning pot, I used the largest vegetable steamer I could find and placed it on top of my canning rack, so that it was a bit higher for the water. I put water to just below the steamer and layered the tamales. I fit about 20-22 per batch. my double recipe took 3 batches to steam, but they came out great. I froze them all on Tuesday, re-steamed on Sat morning.
I had to deliver them about an hour away. I took a large aluminum foil roasting pan, lined it with hot damp cloths and placed the tamales as they finished re-steaming into it and covered with more warm cloths and foil. I kept them in the oven until ready to leave. I kept them in a warmed oven with those damn cloths the entirety of the party, and they stayed great! warm and very moist. I have been told we will be make large versions of them for next weekend!!)

Cashew Chicken with Asparagus

 I love cooking magazines.. I do.. in fact, like a cook book, they are something of  a fetish to me. I can't throw them away, and am always buying them. Some day I am sure there will be some form of intervention! Well in looking through a tub of Mag's that I have for Mexican idea's for an upcoming grad party, I came across a 2004 issue of Everyday Food. Let me tell you, this August issue has sooo many things in it I want to make!!! and I picked this as my first. The asparagus was not part of the recipe, my own addition as we like to make sure we have Veggies with our meals!  Great recipe, we all loved it!

Cashew Chicken with Asparagus

1 1/2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-in cubes
1 Tbsp cornstarch
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp canola oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
8 scallions, white and green parts, separated. each cut into 1-in pieces
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
3/4 c raw cashews, toasted
1 bunch of Asparagus, cut into 3rds and blanched until tender
Brown Rice, for serving

In a medium, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with salt and pepper.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. transfer to a plate.
Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 c water, cook, tossing until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute or so. Add asparagus and toss until heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately over rice if desired.

I let the mixture cook a couple minutes, once all ingredients were added. Just to heat the nuts and scallions completely. It was a wonderful meal. Mom does not hesitate to say never make something again, and she instead said that I was to definitely make this again! and.. trust me I intend to it was too yummy!

Mixed Berry Crumble...

Mom's weekly recipe from W.W. was a mixed berry crumble. I am all over some of that!! I did change one thing, and something I would change after having it. We doubled the recipe and added Blackberries; and after making the crumble, I would definitely decrease the butter, it didn't really make a crumble in my open. But it was still quite yummy!



Mixed berry Crumble:

2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unpacked light brown sugar
1/4 lb butter (1 stick) melted

 Preheat oven to 350
Place berries in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, combine flour and sugar. Remove 3 Tbsp of flour and gently toss with berries. Place berries in an 8 in square pan sprayed with pan spray.
To make crumble, add melted butter to remaining flour mixture, combine well. Crumble little bits of topping over berries. Bake until berries just start to bubble, about 35-40 min. Cut into 8 pieces, serve warm or at room temp.

My first Strawberry Rhubarb Pies!!

 I arrived after driving for 15hrs in Idaho last night, My Grandma came out to greet my Stepdad and I and with in minutes says.. Do you know what you get to make tomorrow?!?! Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.. I have Rhubarb and its my favorite!! I said do you have a recipe?? I have never ever made one before, and well its been many years since I have made any kind of fruit pie lol. So this morning I browsed sites looking for a recipe, and I am big on tweaking so I found one, and in the end just added as much fruit as I wanted and tweaked it in hopes the thickener would work and hoping we will not have a runny pie! Well I type this as one is in the Oven now, and the other is frozen for a later date :).

Just out of the oven.. and gorgeous!! I am so excited.. I did tweak something, All my Grams had was Rice milk, so I used that as the glaze, I think egg yolk or regular milk will make a more golden color, but I am very happy with the out come, I mean its been "years" since I have made any type of fruit pie!!
I also found this fab old rolling pin and pastry blender in her drawers. They were from her past relatives, I want to say her grandma? or great grandma? I have a horrible memory!! but there are pics of them here as well, this is a pic-a-holic post!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie :

Pastry for Double pie crust:

2 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 c unsalted butter, well chilled
6-8 tbsp cold water
1 tsp powdered sugar

In a bowl, combine flour, salt and powdered sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing flour with a fork. (I ended up adding slightly more than called for. The recipe called for shortening, she refuses to use it, I am good with the occasional shortening in a pastry dough but went with it hehe. I used my hands in the end to bring the dough together. Do this quick to NOT melt the butter) until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half so one ball is slightly larger than the other.

Chill dough until ready to roll. ( I always chill my dough for at least 10-15min so that the butter can re-chill and not be melty for a flakier crust)
Roll out the larger ball to fit a 9-10 in pie plate. Transfer to pie  plate, (it requests to trim the pastry but I leave it and roll it over the top crust so that it is less likely to spill over ).
Poor in desired filling into crust.
Roll out second ball, cut slits in pastry. Position over filling. Trim to one inch of edge of pie plate. Fold top crust over bottom crust. Flute edges. Bake according to recipe.

Filling :

2/3 c sugar
1/2 c splenda
4 1/2 c chopped Rhubarb
4 1/2c chopped Strawberries
1/3 c water
3 tbsp cornstarch
milk and sugar for top of crust

Preheat oven to 425.

In a large bowl, mix Berries, Rhubarb and Sugar. In a small measuring cup add cornstarch to water and mix. Pour over berry mixture and mix. Let stand for 30min.

 Pour filling into pie crust, cover with top crust crimp edges as desired and brush with milk. Sprinkle with sugar and cut slits for Steam release.
Cover the edges with foil. Bake at 425 for 15min. Turn down oven to 375 and bake for about 45min more, or until bubbly and golden. Cool on wire Rack.

I have to admit, at first I was not thrilled about a Strawberry Rhubarb pie, the only time I tried one was years ago.. many years ago, and I recall not liking it, well after being good, and waiting several hours we sliced into this beautiful baby, and it was so nice!! it had just a little bit of excess juice which I like and it held together, and the smell, oh my it was so delightful!! I couldn't wait to try.. and one bite I was sooo sold!! I loved it!! so did the stepdad!! and Grams.. shoot she had it for breakfast after we left and said she loved it!! has decided that the frozen one will be taken to a pot luck! YAY!!

I am already thinking of variations!! I think there needs to be vanilla bean in one.. or cinnamon.. shoot.. maybe some brandy for a liquored up pie ;) I have no idea except that I want to make more, and for that matter more pies!! I really loved making them!! and well.. wouldn't hurt to finesse my techniques!! I so love to bake, and am so glad that I got to do something for my Grandma on the one day I was able to be there, now I will admit driving there and then driving back was exhausting, but worth it!

Bomb Chicken and Rice!!

I have this cookbook a friend gave me, Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook. For one, I love the mags from Taste of Home, I pick them up often, and since our home is one of Weight Watchers right now, anything that says diet or low cal I am all over cooking for my Mommy! So while going through it I came across this recipe. Well, deciding to make it to us, and with what was on hand, it was a bit different but amazing!! The swaps were easy and made it so my own!! we loved it and hope you do to!

Bomb Chicken and Rice

1 box (14oz) whole grain instant brown rice ( I used Uncle Bens)
8 Boneless skinless Thighs or 6 Breasts ( recipe called for Breasts, I used thighs that I had)
Garlic salt and pepper to taste.
1 2/3 c water
1 c picante sauce
1 can (7.5oz) El Pato Mexican Tomato sauce, the yellow can :)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c shredded Mexican Cheese Blend ( 1 c would probably be awesomely cheesy !!)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with pan spray. Spread the rice in the baking dish. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic salt and pepper. Place over rice. In a bowl, combine the water, picante sauce, El Pato and Onion. Pour over the chicken.
Bake for about 55min or until the rice is tender and the chicken juices run clear. Sprinkle with chesses and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

no .. some day I will have cute plates to serve on! and learn to take awesome pictures like everyone else, til then.. we have to suffer with my minimal nice looking ones haha.. It was nicely spicy! the El Pato was a great sudden idea and am soo glad I had it on hand!! I am thinking of adding a can of black beans and corn the next time I make it :). The whole family loved it!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies anyone??

 So.. I have had this craving for sweets and nothing is curbing it! I noticed a bag of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips in the freezer like a week ago, and they have been calling to me ever since. I picked up butter and decided today was that day! Now.. as I set out to do this, I also saw my box of mini chocolate bars from Vosges Haut Chocolat . I love the Red Fire Bar is my all time favorite Chocolate Bar! So I decided that half the batch should have something extra added to it! These mini bars are 5oz each, so I chopped up both my Red Fire Bar and the Oaxaca Bar. One is Dark Chocolate one is Bittersweet. Red Fire is Ancho y Chipotle chilies and Ceylon cinnamon, Oaxaca is Oaxacan juajillo y pasilla chillies. So there should be some fire! in them.. I hope hehe.. either way should curb anyone's chocolate needs! I did just follow the Recipe on the back of the bag with much success, which does not always work. I have not always liked the recipes on the bags.

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 12oz package Hershey's special dark Chocolate Chips
1 c chopped Nuts ( I used Hazelnuts)
(5 oz Red Fire Bar, 5 oz Oaxaca Bar for last half of the batch.

Heat oven to 375
Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if desired.(after 2 pans are prepared, add the chopped Bars and mix)
Drop by rounded tsp onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 min or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 doz ( I got 4 doz, but made the last batch slightly larger cookies hehe..)

Having tasted 1 of each, I would have loved bigger bars of Chocolate, you randomly get bits of heat and cinnamon, I definitely need to make cookies with them! Both batches are very tasty and so hit that chocolate spot right now! I do know that this recipe will be a keeper for chocolate chip cookies, it's hard to find a good one, and I am quite enjoying them! Slightly crisp outside and soft on the inside all I need is a tall glass of ice cold milk!!

Best ever Baked Fried Chicken..

So I only took 2 pics, and they may not be the best pics.. but let me tell you this is the ONLY way I will bake fried chicken again!! I found some recipes and just kinda mixed them up. I wanted low fat (and other than the skin which we are unable to take off yet haha) its all non-fat ingredients! Everyone loved it, Super Crispy.. and not greasy just tasty! Ignore the gross parts of that tray.. chicken grease dripped away! haha.

 Baked Fried Chicken!
6 chicken leg quarters, or equiv. pieces of chicken
1 c non fat sour cream
1/3 non fat milk (about You want to thin the sour cream just a bit so its not so thick)
about 1 tsp finely chopped garlic (I like garlic.. so added a little more, you can be a bit generous with no worries of over powering)
Salt, Spicy Pepper, Seasoning Salt
Any other seasonings you want to add (versatile!)
Panko Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Line a large baking sheet with foil, and top with a cooling rack. Spray Rack with pan spray set aside. Mix all ingredients but bread crumbs in a Medium bowl. Put Bread Crumbs and more seasonings (no garlic!) in another medium bowl and mix. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time dip into Sour cream mixture, coating lightly on both sides. You don't need it dripping off, just nicely coated, a little goes a long way! Then place in bread crumbs to coat. Place on rack. Once all Chicken is placed on rack, bake in heated oven for about an hour or til juices run clear. Time will depend on size of chicken and such. Just use judgment!!

*now.. I started mine at 350 and after about 45min noticed it didn't seem to be cooking, So I jacked up the oven to 425 and baked it for another 30 min. It came out great, I picked 375 as a nice in between temperature. It's Chicken, so use your judgment and knowledge :)
It's a very simple recipe and very easy to tweak. Add chili powder for heat! or Tabasco to the sour cream! so many variations, and it was soo crispy! we had mashed potatoes and gravy with it and it was mm good!

Zuchinin Pineapple Bread

I can't make just one kind of bread!! that stinking zucchini gave me 6 cups of shredded zucchini to use!! And that is enough for 3 different batches. Which is why I have mini loaves of the other. Why that one, well I made them after making this one, and I like to work like a conveyor belt. Back to back to back to get the most done!! I found this recipe in the Cooking Light 2009 annual recipes. We are a definite pineapple family, despite apparently not doing much with it, mostly because we eat it fresh and fast haha. This was completely different than the first bread. Very moist, and the pineapple was wonderful. Light and fluffy, great quick bread!!

Zucchini Pineapple Quick Bread

3 c sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp baking powder
2 lg eggs
2 c sugar
2 c grated zucchini
2/3c canola oil
1/2 c egg substitute2 tsp vanilla extract
2 (8oz) can's crushed pineapple,drained

Preheat oven to 325.
In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
Beat eggs with a mixer at medium speed until foamy. Add sugar and next 4 ingredients, beating until well blended. Add flour mixture, and mix just until combined. Fold in pineapple.
Spoon batter into 2-9x5 loaf pans coated with baking spray. Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

It is decided this is the springy/summery zucchini bread, and the other one is the fall/Christmas zucchini bread haha.. Both were super yummy!!

We Have Zucchini!!! which means.. BREAD!!

We attempted to grow a small garden this year! Knowing nothing really about planting or growing one, and being pretty lazy about the process, we dug we planted we watered haha.. well apparently the item that took off were 2 zucchini plants that just took off! Over this last weekend I discovered we have 2 growing, and one to the right was very fat! so I pulled that baby off, the other I felt could grow a bit more.Well 2 days later the family is home and Mom brings in this zucchini that is seriously as long as my forearm and at least 4 inches or so around, it was monstrous!! What does this mean?? hmm what oh what to do with the zucchini!! of course I am

thinking.. Sweet!! Chocolate zucchini cake? bread? sauteed? Parmesan?? so much you can do. So I set out to find a couple recipes. The first I did was from Weight Watchers. My darling Mom is just 4lbs from losing 100 on the program, so when I can find recipes with points I do! eventually my big tush will get on the band wagon and lose my many many lbs. But for now I am enjoying helping her. So I had 2 recipes, and this is the first one. I made 2 loaves as well as a second batch of mini loaves!! It's is a beautiful bread when sliced, in fact that was my first thought, Oh my gosh how pretty!! specks of green, the raisins and nuts. A beautiful slice of bread! Flavor, very tasty!! we all loved it, including mom who tends to say what is this green shit in my bread??? hahaha.. but WW has helped her learn to try and like new things so She ate it and loved it!! its definitely on our make again and eat more list!! So with out delay here is the recipe!!

Weight Watchers Zucchini Bread:

2 c whole wheat flour
2/3c all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
3 lg egg whites
1 lg egg
1 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c canola oil
2/3 c unsweetened applesauce
2 c zucchini, grated
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c raisins

* we had picked up some Egg White Substitute and we actually used that instead of the egg whites in the. I will stick to how we made it, as we greatly enjoyed the bread.
** I grated the zucchini unpeeled. I don't recall ever peeling my zucchini, even when I cook with it, so why do so when I bake with it. And I will stick to what I do :)  Also.. I increased the walnuts to 1 cup instead of 1/2.

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 2-8x4 inch loaf pans with cooking spray, set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, in a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add egg, sugar, vanilla, oil and applesauce and beat until thoroughly combined; beat in zucchini.
Add sifted ingredients to egg mixture and mix well; fold in nuts and raisins. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in middle of oven until a toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. about 50-60 min. Slice each bread into 10 pieces and serve warm or at room temp. 3 pts. per slice based on actual ingredients. My nuts increased and using the substitute will likely change the points of my actual bread. Either way.. Its Good!! We got 5 mini loaves!!

Blackberry Swirl Pound Cake

I saw this recipe in the back of the July/August issue of Martha Stewart's Food Everyday (or vice versa!!) and it looked soo good!! I happened to have 3 pints of Blackberries in the freezer and the rest of the ingredients on hand, so figured why not! Of course my worst thing is that I have a horrible habit of reading my recipes quickly if at all .. ALWAYS READ YOUR RECIPES hahaha.. I got to the swirl part, put all the batter in the pan, and missed where it was in batches. So.. scooped off and swirled and put back and swirled more lol. It's super tasty!.. Very light and buttery despite only having 1 stick of butter. I really like it, and can't wait to try it with other Fruits swirled in!

Blackberry Swirl Pound Cake

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
6 oz blackberries (1 1/3 c)
1 1/4 c plus 2 TBSP sugar
1 1/2c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2c sour cream, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter a 5x9 loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2 in overhang on all sides, butter parchment. In a food processor, puree blackberries with 2 tbsp sugar, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and 1 1/4 c sugar until light and fluffy, 5 min. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour crea, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Transfer half the batter to pan and dot with 1/2c blackberry puree. Repeat with remaining batter and puree. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife. swirl batter and puree together. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hrs. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 30min. Lift cake out of pan and place on a serving plate , cool completely before slicing. (store cooled cake, wrapped tightly in plastic at room temp, up to 3 days)

 I had some of the Blackberry puree with it.. was very yummy!

Banana Bread Cookies batch 2!

So my step dad is Diabetic, and has been all over using Splenda for things. Well I am all for some substitutions, but for safety health reasons I prefer to not go over board! All things have side effects, so I say know your products!! That being said, I had been itching to try the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend! and well now that I knew how these were to bake up, I thought may as well try them! I did have a banana left hehe.
So I did, substituting the 1/2c brown sugar in the recipe below for 1/4c Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. The result.. The same cookie!! Yum!!

Banana Bread Cookies!

Freaking amazing!!! you will not be able to stop eating them.. well at least I can't!


1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1 lg egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2c mashed ripe banana (about 1 lg)
1 c old fashioned rolled oats
1 c chopped walnuts (toasted)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together flours, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats and walnuts.
2. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined pans, spacing 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12-13min. let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 min. Transfer cookies to wire racks. let cool completely.

**when 1 1/2 sheets were filled  I added about 1/4c of toffee bits to the remaining batter and backed as directed. I would say you could easily add about 8 oz chocolate chips, or maybe some coconut and do macadamia nuts instead of walnuts. Anything you would do to banana bread I would adjust flavors here. They are very tender and light, and that one ripe banana adds amazing flavor!**

Blackberry Peach Nectarine Freezer Jam!

 Well, it was suppose to be just Blackberry Peach, but when I went to pick up a couple more peaches I got home and realized that I had a mix of both so I used them haha.. I had saved my blackberry puree from earlier jam making and had it waiting in the freezer until the peaches showed up at the store! So why not add it to my do things list on my weekend of peace alone! And well I have to admit, after the Mango Chili Freezer Jam.. its damn easy to do!
So I will post the recipe as its suppose to be, but also add what I did differently being the added Nectarines lol

1 1/2 c Splenda, No calorie sweetener, granular
1.59oz pkg Ball Simple Creations Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
3 cups finely chopped white Peaches (I used 2 c peaches 1 c nectarines)
1 c crushed blackberries ( yea.. up I pureed mine kinda, well a few pulses in the food processor!)
Stir Splenda and contents of pectin package in a bowl until well blended.
Add peaches and Blackberries. Stir 3 minutes.
Ladle Jam into clean jars to fill line. Twist on lids. Let stand until thickened, about 30 min
Refrigerate up to 3 wks or freeze up to 1 year.

I love the chunks. When I had the fruits together I did mash a bit, but I really like my jams chunky. I hate jelly just because its so.. smooth haha.. I want lots of chunky fruit!!! its quite tasty and very pretty I think! Can't wait to test it out on the Step Dad whom is Diabetic.. its Splenda!!

Blueberry Plum Upside Down Cake

I had been itching for some time to make some kind of upside down cake. My family, love em to death, often think what I think sounds awesome sounds just too weird. Well, here I am my 3 day weekend alone, and all I can think to do is cook and bake haha. Of course where the heck is this stuff going to go but to my ever growing ass and thighs! eating all of it slowly makes a difference .. right? haha.. doubtful. Either way, they left and here I was with 8 plums and well as much as I love plums, I simply didn't see my self eating all 8! So I looked around and came across this recipe. I had everything! so of course it had to be made! Let me tell you, it should be made just because of its beauty! oh my it is a gorgeous cake and oh so tasty!

And I will admit, I was soo proud. I really can not think of the last time I baked an upside down anything, and this just came out amazingly! Make it again, oh yes!! with different fruits.. oh hell yes!! Pineapple is a must, Peaches and Raspberries would be amazing, even Nectarines, I am thinking limitless possibilities in my little mind!!!
Blueberry Plum Upside Down Cake:
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp Margarine
1/4 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c milk
4 black plums, pitted and thinly sliced (yup so didn't use all 8, I sliced up 5 of them though lol)
3/4 c blueberries (I had fresh ones I threw in the freezer recently, and simply sprinkled them around)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 in cake pan. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the prepared pan, combine 3 tbsp margarine and brown sugar. Place pan inside the preheated oven. until the margarine melts and begins to bubble. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the 1/3 c margarine and 1 cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.
Arrange plums around the edges of the prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Distribute the blueberries in the center. Pour batter into prepared pan, covering fruit completely. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool 15 min before serving.