Zucchini Brownies

Like everyone else who plants a zucchini plant or two (those are the crazy ones-like us!) Have to love all those great zucchini jokes that are out there. I loved this one because it hits close to home.

Where I grew up, the only time you ever locked your doors was when the zucchini ripened, so the neighbours couldn't "donate" theirs onto your porch. ~ Hermit

Sounds familiar to anyone else?

We love zucchini cookies, cakes, breads, fried, baked etc. This simple and quick Zucchini Brownie recipe comes from my sister Kelly's Kitchen. I have to admit I have eaten several to many of these moist and chocolaty treats every time I make them.

2 cups peeled and shredded Zucchini

1/2 cup cooking oil

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 cup coco powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2-1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Mix zucchini, oil, vanilla, then add all dry ingredients. DO NOT USE A MIXER, hand stir!. Pour in to a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

**If you double the batch it feels a large cookie/sheet cake pan.

Fresh Pear Crisp

Topping:

6 Tablespoons unbleached flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or use 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg)

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup regular oats (or you can add 3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts, such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts)

Filling

6 medium pears (2 1/2 to 3 lbs) I didn't have enough to make the weight so I added to small green apples to the mix and it worked great!

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the Topping: mix all ingredients, but the nuts in a food processor until resembles a course cornmeal, then add the nuts. Refrigerate for 15 minutes while you prepare the fruit.

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.

For the feeling: peel, quartered , and cut the pears into 1-inch chunks. (You should have 6 cups). Toss with lemon juice and sugar in a medium bowl. Scrape the fruit mixture with a rubber spatula into a 8-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit. Bake for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking until the fruit is bubbling and the tipping turns deep golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Serve warm. (The Crisp can be set aside at room temperature for a few hours and then reheated in a warm oven just before serving.)

I also tried a Peach-Raspberry version of this crisp. Follow the recipe for the Pear Crisp above, replacing it with 6 peaches (about 3 lbs), peel, pit, and cut into 1/3-inch wedges.

**This one was runny where the pear one was not. It was tart, yet still delicious.

Fresh Peach Dessert

This recipe is in our family cookbook with both my Aunt Julie and my sister Sherri's name by it. I am so glad that they both shared this recipe, because it is AWESOME! I have never served it when it hasn't gotten rave reviews. Last year I even had a husband contact me and tell me that I needed to give the recipe to his wife because it was a new favorite of his. I hope you have a chance to get some great peaches this fall season and give this recipe a whirl. You will not regret it!

1 small box Orange or Peach Jell-o (orange gives it better color)

2 cups water

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

Cook the above ingredients in a small sauce pan until clear. Cool, before adding 4-5 cups (6-8 peaches) fresh peaches. DO NOT LET SAUCE SET-UP when cooling.

Mix together in a seperate bowl:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 (12oz) cool whip

Lorna Doone cookies or white cake mix serves as the crust. (Sandies shortbread cookies work fine too. Just crush them so they cover the bottom of your dish better).

For the cookies: lay them flat in the bottom of a 9 x 13 cake pan and then top with the sweetened milk and cool whip mixture. Then top with peaches/jell-o mixture. Put in fridge until set up.

If you choose to use white cake divide it in half and put it into two cake pans (or a large sheet cake/jelly roll pan) and bake as directed (until a toothpick comes out clean); cool completely. Then follow the directions listed with the cookies.

Sherri's Frozen Peaches

My sister Sherri is an amazing cook and homemaker. In 2007 when I thought I would never be done canning all the peaches I called her asking for advise on anything else I could do with my peaches. She shared this great recipe with me. I have shared it with friends in Billings and here in Wyoming and it has become a favorite for there families as well. I have created a dessert soup out of it which I will post. I am so glad to have great resources like my sisters, my mom, and friends to glean from their great recipes. Thank you Sherri for a great recipe!

12 oz orange juice, diluted as directed on the container

6 oz lemon aid-DO NOT DILUTE! (Oops this year I used lime-aid--still tasted good)

1- 20 oz can crushed pineapple

3 cups sugar

Mix ingredients well and pour over 30 peaches, sliced.

Scoop into quart freezer bags and freeze until ready to use.

Sherri said that they love theirs over ice cream, making peach milkshakes, or they add a few ice cubes and some 7-up and make a smoothie.

I have made great homemade ice cream with it, as well as, the Peach Soup.

Homemade Peach Raspberry Jam

This is a family favorite that my mom has made for as long as I can remember. It does a fast disappearing act when she makes homemade bread or rolls.

6 cups mashed peaches

1 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 box pectin

6 cups sugar

1 teaspoon butter (must be butter not margarine)

1 pkg. raspberry punch powder (optional--it helps give it a nice color.)

1 cup Raspberries (fresh or frozen works)

Put all ingredients , but the sugar in a large pot bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute or until a rolling boil starts. Add the 6 cups sugar and boil for 5 minutes . Remove from heat add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into hot jars and top with a hot lid and ring. No water bath needed. (This is called kettle canning)

Notes: my mother adds a few drops of red food coloring to make it have a nice color too.

* This recipe produces 7 pints and one half-pint or 6 pints and 3 1/3 half-pints.

** Raspberry Kool-Aid is hard to find now days. I tried this year(2009) to use the Raspberry Peach Crystal Light To-Go packet in place of it. I thought it was a perfect match seeing that both the jam and the punch powder are Raspberry-Peach.

Homemade Peaches, Pears, and Fruit Cocktail

Well as summer draws to and end and the crispness in the air returns it brings with it many memories for me. One of these memories is helping my mother can homemade peaches and pears. Others are the smells of mom making her salsa and chili sauces. After school when you entered the front door the house was filled with the aroma's of mom's labors. There is nothing like homemade and canned products. I have continued to follow in my mothers footsteps (thanks to her training and constant teaching-still!) I can homemade salsa, spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes, peaches, pears, fruit cocktail, and jams. I even did pints of green beans this year which was a new experience for me. I put up 106 quarts of peaches, pears, and fruit cocktail in a 24 hour period spread over 4 days. I tried to do it when the kids were napping or in bed. I quiet enjoyed the quite hours at night to think while my hands were busy. I am so grateful to my dear mother who has passed her knowledge on to me so that I can bless my little family with what I think are the best products we can be eating!

How to can you own peaches according to Joyce Parrish (my mom):

Peel and jar peaches. Pour medium syrup over them in jars to the neck of the bottle. You need to leave a good 1/2" head space for the processing to work. Before processing you can add 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla to each jar (optional, but sure gives them a great flavor). Process in a water bath for 10-12 minutes, no longer-it over cooks the fruit.

* My mom uses her syrup hot. I used my at room temperature this year do to kitchen space (or the lack thereof!) so I processed mine for 15 minutes.

FOR PEARS AND FRUIT COCKTAIL (combo of pears, peaches and a few pieces of canned pineapple chunks):

Use the Medium syrup covering fruit leaving the 1/2" head space and process in a water bath.

Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with Almond Peppers

So this has been a favorite of ours for a few years now. We first had this served to us from Lynnette's table--everything that we've eaten from her kitchen is a hit! I love to cook this in the summer when bell peppers are fresh out of the garden. I have used all colors of peppers and it always turns out tasty. This is a little labor intensive but worth the effort. We have Cooking Light magazine to thank for this great recipe.

2 large red bell peppers (about 3/4 pound)

2 large green bell peppers (about 3/4 pound) I like to use yellow or orange if I have them.

2 teaspoon olive oil

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

6 (4-oz) skinned, boned chicken breast halves (I use tenders)

3 Tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup All-purpose flour

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons water

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1/2 cup bell peppers)

• Directions:

  Cut bell peppers into 2 x 2 1/2-inch strips. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers; sauté 8 minutes. Add raisins; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in almonds. Set aside, and keep warm.

  Place each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge each chicken piece in flour, and dip in egg whites. Dredge chicken in breadcrumb mixture.

  Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from heat. Place the chicken and bell pepper mixture on a serving platter; set aside, and keep warm.

  Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and water to pan; stir with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Spoon mixture over chicken and bell pepper mixture.

  Nutritional Information

  Calories:

  288 (30% from fat)

  Fat:

  9.5g (sat 2g,mono 4.9g,poly 1.7g)

  Protein:

  31.3g

  Carbohydrate:

  19.4g

  Fiber:

  2.6g

  Cholesterol:

  74mg

  Iron:

  2.8mg

  Sodium:

  253mg

  Calcium:

  73m

  
  

  Cooking Light, JUNE 2000