Zucchini Cake

This must have been good because Shane and I have eaten almost an entire 9x13 pan in 2 days, normally when I bake sweets I have to throw the last piece out. This is partially out of self preservation, (I would eat it all) and usually because Shane only eats a couple of pieces and then no more. When I came back in from riding last night I discovered he had eaten a piece and a half and then had another after dinner. Eeeks we better get running!

It closely follows my carrot cake recipe with just a few tweaks.

Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

4 eggs
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 -2/3 cup olive oil or any other oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 tsp. vanilla
2 c flour (I used 1 c. white and 1 c. wheat)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
lemon rind from about half or a little more of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 grease and flour a 9x13 pan (when making carrot cake I have used 2 round pans so this should work if you want to build a layer cake instead)
Beat eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla mix in flour and other dry ingredients and lemon rind stir in zucchini. Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-50mins. Let cool at least 10 mins before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely or if you are lazy like I was just let cool in pan!

Cream cheese frosting

1 stick of butter at room temp
1 8oz pkg of cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
squeeze of half lemon

Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar together on med high speed until thoroughly incorporated and smooth and creamy looking. Taste test to make sure it is sweet enough to your liking (I do a lot less sugar then most recipes.) Add the juice from half a lemon and continue mixing once your cake is cooled you can spread it on the top! If you are doing a layer cake you may need to double the recipe. The result was a very light and tangy frosting almost like a cream cheese sour cream frosting if there is such a thing!

Garden Pasta Salad

Recently I was at my brother in-laws wedding, there was a wonderful pasta salad there. It just so happens that many of the veggies in it I have to use from my garden and I am always trying to figure out meals based on what is available to me outside in the summer. For some reason I have had a particularly hard time with that this summer. We have lots of everything aside from maybe tomatoes and they are trying (I get a fair amount just not enough to can)! This has been one of our best gardens ever I love it even though the weeds torment me and I have been truly overwhelmed with the abundance even after giving what seems like most of it away!

Back to the PASTA!

This was quick, easy and filling. I made if for company with some maple mustard grilled chicken.

Garden Pasta Salad

1 box of whole wheat Rotelle or Fusilli shaped pasta
1-2 cups broccoli florets
1-2 cups cauliflower florets
2 small to medium squash halved
1/2 can olives halved
about a pint of cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup mozzarella pearls
1/4 cup parmesan
handful of ribboned basil
Your favorite good quality Italian dressing or you can make your own (I usually make my own but was lazy!)
I would say you need at least a cup but taste the pasta after you mix it up and allow it to sit a few minutes.

Cook pasta as directed during the last 3-4 minutes put broccoli and cauliflower in to cook until crisp tender then drain. On a grill cook squash halves until caramelized ( about 5-6 minutes) remove and slice into bite size pieces. In a large bowl toss pasta, broccoli, cauliflower, Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese then lightly toss in squash, olives,  mozzarella and basil season with salt and pepper.

I made this pasta according to my guests tastes! I may have added different veggies otherwise some grilled peppers and red onion would have been a very good addition and of course Shane would have loved if I left out the squash but as you can see above it is going into everything we eat as of late. I chopped it up into tiny bits in the food processor and added it to our garden spaghetti sauce the other night and last night we had a very yummy zucchini cake (similar to carrot cake) after dinner that I will post later!

Finally a consistent bread recipe!

Most anyone who knows me, knows I am a bread maker. Or at least that I attempt to make a lot of bread. I make a mean jalapeno cheddar bread and a  favorite herb and cheese bread that pretty much always comes out good but for the last year I have been looking for a recipe that I can add stuff too, and change up every time but that gives me not just tasty bread but a bread with that rich chewy rustic crust! I have finally found a recipe I am in love with! I have made it several times and every time it comes out with a nice crust, good crumb and lots of flavor even when I didn't add anything!

Beware it does require some time but you just have to be around you don't have to be watching it the whole time!

Basic Bread Recipe

3 1/2 cups flour (I think the quality of flour is everything for baked goods, and swear is the secret to my cookies. I use Montana Wheat but King Arthur is also good)
2 1/2 TSP yeast
2 1/4 TSP salt
1 1/3 cup cold water plus 1/3 additional

Optional healthy add ins: I pretty much always use at least half wheat flour when I bake. If you do it is good to also add vital wheat gluten since it is lower in gluten it doesn't always rise as well. I also usually always add in a 1/4 - 1/3 cup of ground flax as well as wheat germ.

So you may start this bread in two different ways. I usually mix all the dry ingredients including the yeast in my mixer then make a well and pour in the 1 1/3 cups cold water with the dough hook mixing at speed 1. You could also dissolve the yeast in the water first and then put in the dry ingredients. This is a multiple rise/slow rise recipe that is why the cold water works. I mix in the mixer until the dough gets cleaned off the sides and starts to have an elastic texture. It is ok if it is still sticky as long as you can handle it. If it is too sticky and does not clean the sides of the mixing bowl then add flour a Tbs at a time. If it is too dry and never incorporates all the flour into a nice wet elastic ball add a little of the extra water again only a Tbs at a time. I then pick up the ball spray the sides of the bowl with a little spray gently turn the dough in it once so it won't stick to the sides so bad and cover and allow to rise for usually about 2 hours the dough should be double in size.  Then take the bread and put it on a work surface with a good dusting of flour, flatten it by patting and lightly stretching into a rectangle then fold it into thirds long ways and then take each end and fold it under. This helps distribute the yeast even more. Put it back in the bowl, cover and let rise until it has doubled in size again. This rise is usually a little quicker. Once it has risen I split the dough in half and gently pull the sides under to form a round ball and put in a sprayed cake pan. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 for 15 minutes then turn down the oven to 375 and bake an additional 20-30 mins. Now to achieve that crust I described put a tray/bowl etc. on the wrack below the bread and throw in a couple of ice cubes when you put the bread in the oven refresh with a couple of more ice cubes every 10-15 mins. When the bread is out of the oven it is delicious hot but it is always best to allow the bread to cool all the way first before cutting into it so all the steam doesn't escape.

This loaf came out slightly low probably because I didn't allow it to rise all the way the first time. It still had all the good bread properties though. Also I find that usually when I shape my bread round it holds its shape better and rises better then when I do it long like french bread.

Now as I mentioned above I like to add stuff! The possibilities are wonderfully endless! This batch is a Parmesan, basil, sun dried tomato bread.

Cheese - it makes everything better

Nuts

Herbs (I like to use fresh but dried could work too)

Jalapenos

Apples

Cinnamon

Raisins

Most of these things I add when mixing in the mixer however when you flatten out the bread and fold it is also a good time to put add ins on especially jalapenos, apples, cinnamon sugar etc.

Grilled squash and cherry tomatoe salad

Yet another squash recipe, I know I will try and lay off after this it just that I have so many different varieties that I have been trying to figure out how to use. This recipe was ready in 15 minutes and made for  a great light dinner after a hot day outside.

1 crookneck squash split lengthwise
1 zucchini split in half and then lengthwise
1 thick slice of onion rings
a handful or more of cherry tomatoes
butter lettuce
1/3 cup Parmesan
handful of shredded basil
salt and pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Heat the grill and brush squash halves and onion with olive oil, grill until there is nice grill marks on them. In a large bowl  put cherry tomatoes ( I also quartered a couple of other golf ball sized varieties with a handful of cherry tomatoes) Parmesan, basil, salt and pepper and when the squash has nice grill marks slice into chunks and mix with tomatoes serve over a bed of lettuce (I used butter lettuce) drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

This was so easy I actually had time to post it tonight! Really yummy too but if you don't like squash you could probably substitute some other veggies like peppers and mushrooms maybe. 

Blogging is work!

I don't know how all these accomplished bloggers find the time to post everyday! It seems that lately I barely have the time to post a couple of times per week let alone daily!!

As promised more zucchini/squash recipes! Today is zucchini pickles, I did try some last night at dinner and they needed a little more time to soak up all the flavor but otherwise seemed pretty good. There are lots of different recipes out there most of them similar to regular cucumber pickles.  Shane doesn't like sweet pickles so I tried to make these a little different and may play with the vinegars next time if I can get him to try them.

Zucchini Pickles

3 med zucchini sliced thin
1/2 a large onion
1 1/2 tbs canning salt ( I used sea salt)

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 tbs mustard seeds
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 - 1 tsp dry dill or you could put a sprig of fresh in the jar.
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 hot pepper thinly sliced

Put the zucchini and onion slices in a colander and sprinkle with the salt mix and let sit over a bowl in the fridge for a few hours to drain liquids tossing occasionally. When ready to use put in a salad spinner to get excess liquids off and pack into a quart jar or other container with a tight lid.

To make brine combine the vinegar, sugar and spices (unless you are using fresh dill) on stove top and bring to a boil, simmer a few minutes. Pack the chili pepper with the zucchini and then pour the hot brine over the top cool, seal and refrigerate for a week or so.