Lock Your Car Doors! It's Zucchini (bread) Time!

    Well, it is late July in New Hampshire and that can mean only one thing...zucchini season. In May and early June, my garden seems to grow so slowly that it is is difficult to imagine having fresh garden vegetables and then July and August come and it seems like they will never stop growing! The joke here goes that you have to be sure to lock your car doors when you go to a friend's house... otherwise when you get home you realize you have a back seat full of zucchini, some frighteningly large!

    While this grand proliferation often happens with lots of veggies, it is the zucchini that always gets a bad rap..the first one of the summer is delicious,,, then as the week progresses: after zucchini on the grill, grated zucchini into the freezer, zucchini casserole, steamed zucchini, zucchini quiche, you start to ask yourself,"What else can I make?!" Well, I love zucchini bread and I often make this recipe which I got from my mom many years ago. It is a tad sweeter than some zucchini bread recipes and is especially tasty toasted!

  Mom's Zucchini Bread 

for one loaf (EASILY doubled)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

scant 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup grated zucchini

 1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup rough chopped pecans or walnuts

   Beat eggs and sugar together, then gradually add oil, mixing carefully to make sure it fully blends in with the egg mixture. Mix together all of the dry ingredients and then stir into egg/oil mixture until well blended. Stir in zucchini; then add raisins, nuts and vanilla and stir just until everything is incorporated. 
   Spread batter in a greased standard loaf pan and bake in 350 degree oven ~50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. This bread freezes really well. I simply defrost it overnight, wrap it in foil and put it in a 225 degree oven for about 40 minutes and it is difficult to tell that it was previously baked and frozen. 

    So here is one way to bake with zucchini. Up next are my chocolate zucchini brownies, yum!

enjoy-

yours in baking-

p

"But it's fruit! #2" aka Rustic Red Raspberry Turnovers

I am always tempted by the cooking magazines at the checkout in the supermarket and I gave in last week when I saw Fine Cooking "Picnics and Cookouts". There are alot of intriguing recipes in the magazine but I was drawn to the "Rustic Red Raspberry Turnovers". Raspberries are in season right now and I love them, so I thought I would give these a try. I made these while my mom was visiting and she gave me a thumbs up for the recipe. I was surprised, frankly, at how easy the pastry dough was to make AND it is really delicious. It tastes a little like a sugar cookie, but not nearly as sweet. I definitely recommend making these for your family or even for company!

Rustic Red Raspberry Turnovers 

Buttery Shortbread Pastry Dough

2 cups flour
14 TBS. butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 TBS. sugar
1 TBS. whole milk or heavy cream
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. salt

In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, egg, sugar, cream, lemon juice and salt and pulse until the dough starts to come together in big clumps.

Turn the dough out onto a counter and divide in half. Pat each half roughly into a square, about 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20-30 minutes.

The Filling
5 tsp. granulated sugar, more as needed
1 1/2 TBS. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1 to 2 TBS. milk
 

   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin, roll out one square of the dough into a 9 by 14 inch rectangle. If the dough seems too sticky, dust it with a little flour. Cut the dough into 6 rounds, each about 4 inches in diameter. Do not worry if they are not perfect, remember they are RUSTIC turnovers. Repeat this process with the other square of dough and you will have 12 rounds total.

   In a large bowl stir 5 tsp. of sugar, 1 heaping TBS flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.Add 2 /12 cups fresh raspberries and toss to coat the berries. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

   Place a heaping TBS of filling on one half of each round. (4-5 raspberries or so). Gently press the raspberries down. Wet the edge of the round with water and carefully fold over the other side and press the edges of the dough together with either your fingers or the tines of a fork. If any small cracks form in the turnovers, try to gently close them with your fingers. Transfer the turnovers to the baking sheet with a metal spatula and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
   Brush the tops(not the edges) of the turnovers with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until G, B and D. Golden, Brown and Delicious! Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

     Now pour yourself a nice tall class of lemonade, (mine here is mixed with some mango juice). Sit down and enjoy a turnover, or two! Remember it's fruit!

yours in baking-

p

Nana's Apple Pie

   I just found out a very cool new "trick" you can do.  Simply type in the word view after the / in your browser window and hit return. You can view the blog in a number of different and cool ways. There is a little drop down menu at the top so you and check them out. Very fun!

    While it may seem that there are as many apple pie recipes as there are types of apples, I find that it is often the homemade pie you have grown up with that tends to be your favorite. I grew up with my mom making homemade breads, rolls and desserts and that is clearly where my love of baking got started. 

    My mom was coming to visit for a few days and I thought it would be fun to have her make an apple pie which has always been referred to by my daughter Caroline as "Nana's Apple Pie". It is ALWAYS requested for holidays and barely makes it through the day before being finished off even when there are numerous pies to choose from! So here it is. I actually made my mom come up with specific amounts because whenever I ask her how she makes some baked good we grew up with, her reply is always "some" of this, "enough" of that...not exactly the scientific approach many bakers are looking for.

the CRUST

2 cups of flour

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup of shortening (My mom made the big switch from lard to the Crisco some time ago and I convinced her to use Earth Balance Buttery sticks for this pie. I sometimes use just butter or a mixture of both. My mom still thinks that using Crisco makes the flakiest crust.

6-8 TBS. cold water

   In a medium bowl, mix together flour and salt and work in shortening with fingers until mixture resembles cornmeal. Mix in enough cold water with a spoon(or your fingers) until the dough just comes together. You can wrap the crust in plastic wrap and chill it for 30 minutes or so or use it right away.

    Using half of the dough, roll it out on an floured board and lay it into an 8 inch pie plate.

      the FILLING

5-6 large Granny Smith or Macintosh apples

2/3-3/4 cup sugar( dependign on how sweet you liek you pie)

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 TBS. butter

   Peel and slice your apples right into the bottom crust, being sure to lay them evenly in the pie plate and filling the plate until it is even with the edge. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon on top. 

   Roll out the other half of crust. Using your fingers, rub some water along the edge and then place the top crust on the pie. I use my fingers to fold the top edge of the crust over and under the bottom edge to seal the crust. Use a knife to trim off the excess crust. Dot the top with butter, make a few slits in the top to release steam and them sprinkle the top of the pie with a few teaspoons of sugar.

COOKING THE PIE.

Cook the pie on high in your microwave for 10 minutes. Then put your pie in the oven at 375 degrees and bake for 15-22 minutes or until G, B and D. (Golden, Brown and Delicious)

the CINNAMON ROLLS!

This is perhaps the most important aspect. There is always a bit of leftover crust and it would be a shame to see it go to waste. So my mom always rolled it out and then sprinkled it generously with cinnamon and sugar. You then roll it up with the long edge in front of you. Then slice the roll into 1 inch pieces and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake these in the oven while the pie is baking. They take about 10-14 minutes and are really yummy!

Before baking

Now you have something to snack on while you are waiting for the pie to finish baking!

After baking, yum!

Caroline and Nana enjoying their pie! :)

  enjoy-
  yours in baking
  p

Sandra's Chewy Granola Bars

    My daughter Caroline and I were getting ready to head out on a road trip to Asheville for the wedding of a family friend and I was trying to think of a homemade treat to bring along to balance out the fruit and carrot sticks I had already set aside for the cooler. It has been some time since I had made these and I thought the timing was perfect. This recipe is from a good Kiwi friend, Sandra Oddie who is an amazing gardener as well as cook. She made a batch of these for a trip our families took to Marlborough Sounds a few years ago. They are a bit decadent and hard to stop eating once you start. However, the organic oats, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries can ALMOST convince you they are healthy. Her recipe is in grams but I have converted it here to make it easier to follow. The Golden Syrup really is key for the flavor. You can find it in many grocery stores in the international aisle. It is a British product and is delicious!

Chewy Bars 

9 X 13 pan

Ingredients:

13 TBS. butter

2 TBS. Golden Syrup

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup Craisins(or raisins or other dried fruit)

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups Organic whole oats

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cups shredded coconut

3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup oat bran

Melt the butter and Golden Syrup in a small saucepan.

Pour into a medium bowl and add other ingredients and mix well. Press into a 9 by 13 pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 22 minutes. The Golden Syrup will cause it to turn quite golden brown so keep a close eye on it. Cool on a wire rack before cutting and to remain true to Sandra's style, store them in a tin!

Caroline and I indulged with one each on the trip down(~ 15 hours of driving) and to help remove the temptation we took them on a hike to some falls along the Blue Ridge Parkway where they were well appreciated. I hope you enjoy them too! 

 

yours in baking-

p

More King Arthur Cupcake Fun!

   

     I have to give another shout-out to my friend Alex as well as her  husband Peter and their daughter Story who just graduated from Proctor! They gave me a very generous gift certificate to King Arthur Flour which of course, for a baking psycho like me is a bit like catnip for one of   my cats, so THANK YOU!

     Anyway, my daughter and I ventured up to the store on Wednesday morning...arriving bright and early and ready to have fun! After a delicious snack from their bakery, we got to work. Although there are a few items I usually like to stock up on, that day I decided I would indulge in some new item or baking quest. After seeing some really fun mini-cupcake papers...bright colors of course, I knew what it would be. With fun papers in hand, I was also able to pick up some of their Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa powder, which is absolutely divine if you are looking  for a reaaaaaallllllly dark chocolate cake or brownie. I have always wanted to get a pastry bag and some fun tips, so they went into the basket as well.

     We topped it off with some white edible glitter...of course, everyone needs a little glitter in their life and if it is edible all the better!

     We found a good recipe for chocolate cupcakes online, a Martha Stewart recipe.... interestingly enough because I consider myself FAR from the baking/recipe perfection that she cherishes. Anyway, here it is. By the way, these amounts might seem a little strange but I halved the recipe. Feel free to double them to make 32 regular cupcakes.

 Devil's Food Cupcakes

(makes ~54 mini cupcakes)

3/8 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

  3/8 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/8 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your mini-cupcake tins with papers. Whisk together the cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Melt the butter with sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, and beating until just combined after each.

    Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Yummy White Frosting
enough for one batch of cupcakes as listed above

10 TBS. softened butter
1/4 cup marshmallow FLUFF (not creme)
3-4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 TBS. milk or cream
almond or vanilla extract (to your liking)
gel food coloring, if desired

    In medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and Fluff until smooth. Add confectioner's sugar and flavoring and mix well, adding enough milk or cream to reach your desired consistency. If you plan on using a pastry bag to pipe the icing onto the cupcakes, you will want the icing to be a bit softer. You might even want to test some first. Remember you can always add a few more drops of liquid more easily than having to add A LOT more confectioner's sugar if you make it too thin. Have fun with these cupcakes and don't be afraid to experiment! I can't wait to try new flavors and colors next time!

yours in baking-

p