Carrot Zucchini Bars...the kids will never know!

My Grandaddy loves to garden! I love reaping the rewards of his garden each year. The summer is just getting started and we are already overrun with zucchini! Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! (Did you like that Lion King reference? Huh, did ya?) Anyway, we love roasted zucchini the best but I'm needing to come up with some creative ways to use up all these zukes! 

(Enter Pinterest)

I love Pinterest! All those recipes, crafts and other things right at my fingertips! This is the result, my own take on Carrot Zucchini Bars!

Carrot Zucchini Bars aka Healthy Yellow Cake

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 T. sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
3T. high fructose corn syrup or honey (I'm allergic to honey but wanted sweet and sticky so HFCS)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. carrots, shredded (I used the smallest blade on a hand grater)
1/2 c. zucchini, shredded (Again, smallest blade and I peeled and seeded to help conceal it in the cake)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the 2 eggs for just a minute, add oil, honey/syrup, vanilla and sugar and beat again until well mixed. In separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Add to wet mixture along with shredded veggies. Batter will be thick! Pour batter into greased 8x9 glass baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Lemon Cream  Cheese Frosting

1 block cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 T. lemon juice

Beat cream cheese until well blended, add vanilla and lemon juice. Slowly add powdered sugar until well blended. If too thick add 1 T. milk at a time until it reaches a good spreading consistency.

Click here to print

Mini Monkey Buns

I'm all about quick and easy! So this busy morning of catching up on school work for my oldest daughter Molly and getting ready for a meeting later this morning, I needed something quick and easy! So I took a cue from The Pioneer Woman and made these quick little morning buns with a few small adjustments.

(Taken with my phone because I couldn't find my camera!)

Mini Monkey Buns


8 ct. Grands buttermilk biscuits, cut into 16ths and each piece "balled" up
stick unsalted butter (cut into matchsticks; and cubed) cubes should be about the size of a pencil eraser
sugar
cinnamon
powdered sugar
vanilla
water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mini muffin pan  place one butter cube, just enough sugar to cover the bottom of the muffin tin and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Place three little balls of dough into each spot; top with another cube of butter. Bake for about 8 min. or until golden brown. Pop out of pan while still hot and drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze ( 1/4 c. powdered sugar 2 T. water and a dash of vanilla) Makes roughly 42 mini muffins.

KISS Gingersnaps

We had friends coming over this afternoon for a planning meeting for upcoming events with our homeschool group and everyone was suppose to bring a snack. I haven't been shopping this weekend outside of grabbing a gallon of milk yesterday evening AND we've been trying to eat healthy so there isn't much in the cabinets either.  What to make!?!

The thought that kept running through my mind (thanks to my friend Bridget) was KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid! So I set out to make something simple and tasty. The result.... KISS Gingersnaps!



KISS Gingersnaps

1 box Spice Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs and oil together. Dough will be thick. Roll into balls about the size of a large marble; roll in sugar before placing on pan. Bake for 13 minutes. *If they begin to brown they are overcooked!

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Weekly Menu 12/12-12/18

Things are calming down and I'm finally getting back to blogging! Yeah! I've missed it tremendously! So here is this week's menu. I know it's the end of the week, but better late than never right?

Monday
Breakfast-cereal
Lunch-leftovers
Dinner-Ham and Corn Chowder
Tuesday

Breakfast-Muffins
Lunch-grilled cheese
Dinner-(catered Christmas party at our house) I made Meatballs Elmira & Sausage Cheese balls

Wednesday

Breakfast-toast & yogurt
Lunch- peanut butter and jelly
Dinner- Grilled Dale's Italian Chicken, rice and green beans

Thursday

Breakfast- Waffles
Lunch- pizza
Dinner-(Hubby's work Christmas Party) Cheesy Crockpot Chicken

Friday

Breakfast-cereal
Lunch- leftovers
Dinner- Eat Out

Saturday

Breakfast-scrambled eggs & turkey bacon
Lunch- grilled cheese
Dinner- (Homeschool Christmas party) I'm making brown sugar & bacon cocktail sausages & Chicken Ranch dip

Sunday
Breakfast- toast & yogurt
Lunch- ham & cheese sandwiches
Dinner- (Bridal Shower @ my house for my sister) Cake balls, cucumber sandwiches

Crockpot Creole Daube

I LOVE to cook! Cooking in any form is one of my favorite past times. I am always trying out new recipes I find online or in cookbooks(you should see my collection) or come up with on my own. Testing them on my family and unsuspecting guests! (I know, how nice of me right!?)  There have been major flops and failures like the instant oatmeal muffins a few weeks ago (yuck!).  Then there are the ones that you hit out of the park that go on to the regular rotation of meals. Creole Daube is one of those recipes. 

I've heard of Daube before. According to Deep South Dish daube was a staple in the Point Cadet area here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast but has waned in popularity over the last generation or so. I did a little research on Daube, a French term, with the recipe (or something similar) being brought to this area by French settlers in the 1700's when Mississippi was part of the Louisiana Territory.

I also enjoy trying out foods that are indigenous to the area. I have a dislike of chain restaurants(thanks to the hubby), where no matter what city I'm in the dishes from restaurants like Applebee's will always taste the same. Over the last 10 years it was the hubby's influence that changed my opinion of chain restaurants and encouraged me to look locally for the mom & pop places that will serve food you can find no where else.


So with all that said, when I found the recipe on Deep South Dish I had to try it! Now, I'm not one to follow recipes exactly as written. Isn't that considered a mark of a true chef? I sure hope so! Otherwise I'm just screwing these recipes up. Below you will find MY recipe for Crockpot Creole Daube. If you would like to see the recipe it's based on check out Deep South Dish.

Creole Daube
-will feed a family of 6 easily! We ate half and I froze the rest.

1- small/medium roast (a cheap cut is fine)
1 large onions, chunked
1 large green bell pepper, cut into stripes
2 T. minced garlic
1 large can whole tomatoes (I used San Marzano style), chop up as you pull them out.
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 pinch of sugar1 cup water
2 beef bullion cubes
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste1/2 teaspoon Tony Cachere's 

You ready for the really difficult directions? I'm not sure you can handle this....................

Put EVERYTHING in the crockpot at the same time and cook on low for 6 hours or until the roast is falling apart. Pull out the roast and shred up. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles, garlic bread and maybe a salad. 

Printable version

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Sticky Coconut Chicken

We are a house of chicken eaters, so I love trying new flavors and ways to cook up chicken. I saw this recipe a few weeks ago on Money Saving Mom and knew I had to try it. While checking out the recipe I found another recipe that looked yummy, Sticky Coconut Chicken.

My plan was to grill about 6 chicken breasts in the lemon/garlic marinade, but decided I would divide it between the two and same some for later.

Lemon Garlic Chicken- from Mel's Kitchen



Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound chicken breasts 

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe (I’ll be sharing a few with you soon). Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight.

Serving with roasted parmesan red potatoes and green beans.

Sticky Coconut Chicken-original recipe from Mel's Kitchen. I changed my version just slightly based on what I had on hand.

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp. roasted red chili paste
Mix all ingredients together and marinate chicken for at least 1 hour or longer. Grill on barbecue.

Glaze:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
pinch roasted red chili paste

While the chicken is grilling, bring above ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Be patient because it takes a little while. But once it starts getting really thick, immediately take it off the heat! Glaze both sides of chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

Serving with stir fry noodles and veggies. 

I'm back!

I'm Back!

After a several month break, I'm back! Things have just been crazy here at home and it's not that it has slowed down any, I just miss blogging about food! So stick around and keep an eye out for new recipes coming soon!