Zucchini Bread

This was the most delicious zucchini bread ever--I've now found a way that I like zucchini :)

Zucchini Bread (adapted from Joy of Baking)

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded raw zucchini (1-2 zucchini)
1/2 cup peeled and grated raw apple, (about 1 large apple)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup safflower, corn, or canola oil
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)[****I omitted this out of preference]

Garnish:

Toasted coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

Zucchini Bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Toast the pecans or walnuts for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

Grate the zucchini, using a medium grater, and then peel and grate the apple.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Beat in the grated zucchini and apple. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the nuts and coconut.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan (at this point I generously sprinkled sugar in the raw to give the top a nice texture once it came out of the oven.) Bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan.

Well wrapped, this bread will keep for several days at room temperature (if unfrosted) or for several days in the refrigerator (if frosted). This bread can be frozen.

Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

Frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese until very smooth with no lumps. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Spread over the top of the cooled zucchini bread. Garnish with toasted coconut, if desired.

(Note: To toast coconut - Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for a few minutes until lightly browned. Watch carefully.)

Mango Salsa Scoops

(note, I made this at the end of August, here in MN, it is obviously not a hot summer day!)

Easy and quick and perfect on a hot summer day. I loved that this was a bit both spicy and sweet and kept nicely in the refrigerator for snacks all week long :)

This was from the Food Network Magazine, 50 After School Snacks Insert



Mango Salsa Scoops

Toss 1 cup diced mango and a 14.5 ounce can of black beans (rinsed and drained) with 1/4 cup diced red onion. Add 1 small can of chopped pickled jalapenos and the liquid, chopped cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt. Serve in tortilla scoops.

Spaghettini with Aglio e Olio

I loaned Lidia Bastianich's Italian American Kitchen Cookbook from the local library, now I might have to purchase this for myself, there were so many wonderful recipes and tips and tricks to try. This is a stellar read if you get the chance. The recipe is simple, delicious, and will for sure be made again!

Spaghettini Aglio e Olio (from Lidia Bastianich's Italian-American Kitchen Cookbook)

1 Pound spaghettini or linguine (as I did)
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 Tsp crushed hot red peppers, or more to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1 cup freshly grated Parmesean-Reggiano

Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil over high heat and add a generous pinch of salt to the water. Cook the pasta semi covered, stirring occasionally until tender.

Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and cook. Occasionally stir and cook until the garlic is pale golden, about two minutes. Remove from heat and add the crushed red pepper.

Ladle about a cup of the pasta cooking water into the sauce. Add the parsley, the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil and salt to taste.

If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water and add directly to the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it too the pot, and add the sauce to the pot. Toss the pasta to coat with the sauce and heat for about a minute. Remove from heat and add the grated cheese, check the seasoning, and add more crushed red pepper if needed.

Serve immediately.

Jambalaya

After taking a break from food blogging for awhile, this is a big one to come back with. Brian and I had never really had Jambalaya but I had seen Ina Garten prepare it on her show, Barefoot Contessa, and it looked amazing.I followed the recipe fairly closely with a few adaptations such as I omitted the shrimp (mainly because we don't eat shrimp.) I upped the veggies a bit and the fresh herbs, and I substituted canned tomatoes for convenience.

There was a lot of chopping involved so plan timewise for that, or have someone in the kitchen helping you. Other than that the process was very easy and this recipe makes quite a bit I will say! We each had a good portion and there was easily leftovers for the week afterwards. I may try and freeze some of this though. However, this was the perfect excuse to break out the LeCreuset Ivory beauty thats been hiding in the closet for a few months



Jambalaya (Adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sausage, such as kielbasa or Andouille, sliced
1 pound smoked ham, cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes (drain a little bit of the liquid off)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeno peppers
2 teaspoons diced fresh oregano
2 teaspoon diced fresh thyme
3 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups chicken stock, I used boxed
3 cups long grain rice, rinsed if needed
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6-8 dashes Tabasco (optional)
½ cup chopped scallions divided (optional)
¾ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided (optional)


Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside.

Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well.

Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add ¼ cup of the scallions and ¼ cup of the parsley if using. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.

Garnish with the remaining ¼ cup scallions and ½ cup parsley if using, and a dash of Tabasco, if desired.

Making your own Jam

Honestly before this summer I had no idea what canning was, I thought, "How do they get their cans to seal?" Literally referring to a can like you'd buy at the grocery store. I didn't know!! I soon found out that canning referred to preserving foods in jars, like jams, and jellies, and sauces, and pickles etc.

But the beginning of this summer brought about a curiousity to try this, and it started with baby steps. I saw this recipe on another blog showing an easy version of strawberry jam. I tried it and it was lovely, very bright and fruity, easy to spread and everybody loved it! But then I started learning more about different methods of canning. There is the water-bath method of preserving, and then there's a pressure cooker method, and there are freezer jams and so on, I am the first one to tell you am not an authority on these processes, but it's a pretty interesting subject and hobby to try as well.

There are lots of food safety concerns in regards to canning methods, you have to do it correctly or you could end up with a slew of troubles on your hands and there are a lot of resources out there to help you maneuver these, such as foodsafety.gov . For Jam making I did not buy any special equipment except jars and extra lids when needed. I have a big stock pot with a pasta insert that can easily be lifted in and out so that kind of doubled as a rack for the water bath method.

Don't let this scare you, I did it and so can you! Think of all the delicous combinations you can put together to enjoy all winter long instead of opting to the grocry store brands that are costly and have fillers and preservatives. I decided on the name of this blogpost because just prior to this I saw a Good Eats episode on Food Network and the topic was canning. Alton breaks the process down in very easy to understand terms, and he reminded me that using frozen fruit is fine when jam making, the fruit is picked at the peak of maturity and it's so easy to use!

Red Raspberry, Strawberry, Rheubarb Jam (from: Canning Jars Etc.)

Yield 9 jars

Enough strawberries, raspberries, and rheubarb to make a total of 5 cups crushed fruit

1 package powdered pectin

7 cups sugar

Rinse the berries. Smash berries with a potato masher, breaking up the berries with a blender or an immersion blender will break the pectin up too much and the jam will not set upon completion.

Combine smashed berries and pectin in a large pot. Bring to boil over high heat in a large pot. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary (alternatively you can add 1/2 tsp of butter or margarine to help eliminate the foam.)

Fill hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, make sure and wipe the rims nice and clean to ensure a good seal. Add lids and rings and process 10 minutes in a water bath.

Read more about preparing jars here
Read more about canning in general here

There are other berries you can try also is these various combinations

Lingonberries

 

Cranberries

 

Stoli Gala Applik Martini

 

I'm taking a pause from 'food blogging' to head over to 'bar blogging' or 'booze blogging' Either way it's time for a cocktail! This vodka was kind of sweet, so it less of a true apple taste than I was expecting, but I'm still not complaining.

The glass that is photographed is a waterford crystal martini glass we received as wedding presents, they are beautiful and so much fun to sip Gala Apple Martinis out of :)


Stoli Gala Applik Martini (receipe from Stoli)

1 part Stoli Gala Apple Vodka
1 part apple juice
1/2 part cranberry juice

Shake with ice to chill until icy cold, strain and serve up. You can also garnish the glass with an apple slice to be extra fancy!

OK fine-to smarten up this post, did you know in the height of the cold war a deal was struck between the Pepsi-Cola company and the Russian Government: Pepsi for Stoli!

How To Season a Wooden Cutting Board

Proper care of a wooden cutting board can make sure it lasts almost forever. This is important because a good cutting board can cost a more than a few dollars. It is a relatively simple step that can rejuvenate your favorite cutting board.

Why should we do this? Mainly because wood is a relatively 'soft' material and with the sharpness of the knives we use, small grooves are created on the surface of the cutting board. When food becomes trapped in these grooves, it can decompose and cause bacteria to grow, the board can become stinky, all kinds of things can happen. Another thing can happen is that when we wash our boards with hot sudsy water and dry it quickly before putting it away, the water that has seeped inside the board can cause the wooden board to split and crack over time.

How do we season a cutting board? Here's how and what you'll need.

1 soft cloth (I grabbed a cotton one out of my husbands 'bag of rags' from our last home improvement project)

A Mineral Oil (do not use a vegetable oil, olive oil, canola oil etc only because a vegetable type oil will become rancid over time, mineral oil will not.) I picked up a small bottle of it at Ikea in their kitchen tool section.

Cutting Board

Here's the How-To



Start with a clean, dry cutting board. We want to really let this mineral oil seep into the grain of the board. Depending on the size of the board, pour an amount on to the board.



Wipe with the soft cloth with the grain of the board, not against it.



Once this process is complete, repeat on the other side of the board.



If you (like me as well) don't get to this as often as one should, you should ideally repeat this process in 24 hours to really seal the board. But if you are diligent about it, you could probably get away with skipping the "repeat in 24 hour step"

The first time I did this I was amazed at just how much oil absorbed in to the wood, I giggled because it seemed as if the board was thirsty. The cutting board also looked new again. Good luck, I hope you find good success with this!!