Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins (or bread)

 

One of my favorites from Emil and Colin's baking class with Chef Freyka Nunez del Prado. I've included her pro-tips. :)

2 medium zucchinis, peeled and shredded

¾ cup sugar

½ cup Canola oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

1 ½ cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

¾ cup mini chocolate chips, lightly dusted with ½ a teaspoon of flour

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Shred zucchini in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for at least five minutes. Squeeze all the water from the zucchini and put it in a different container, discarding the liquid.

In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar and all the wet ingredients.

In a separate mixing bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Use a spatula to combine – do not over mix.

Add chocolate chips to the batter.

Pour into loaf pan or spoon into lined muffin cups. Bake loaf for approximately 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Bake muffins for 25 minutes, but check (with a toothpick) after 20 minutes. Cool for ten minutes.

Grandma Peggy's M & M Cookies

 

This is Mom's official cookie recipe for posterity and also because it's on a tiny piece of paper in an overstuffed recipe box hanging on for dear life :). Mom has written in pencil directions for tripling the recipe for obvious reasons. (This is not the tripled version.) Mom always bought the holiday M&Ms to use in her cookies. 

3/4 stick Crisco Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening

 

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 3/4 all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

6 oz. plain M & M (seasonal colors are the best)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. 

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in M & Ms.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet (or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper). Bake 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-13 minutes for crisp cookies. 

Cinnamon Bread French Toast

 

Our kids stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Lee overnight after Thanksgiving and Grandpa Bob made French Toast with Cinnamon Bread from Kneader's for breakfast the next morning. What?! This "taste treat" is so much better than some of my Dad's other food ideas. I put it over-the-top with Melissa's Buttermilk Syrup.

1 loaf of Kneader's Cinnamon Bread (makes about 13 slices)

6 eggs

6 tsp vanilla

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

Cut cinnamon bread into 1/2-inch slices. 

Whisk together eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and milk. Pour into a small baking dish (7"x 9"). Soak slices of bread on both sides. Fry on a hot griddle. You know the rest... :)

Salsa Fresca

Tomatoes are on! I have millions of them, so it's time for fresh salsa.

4-5 tomatoes, diced

1 tsp. garlic, minced

1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 jalepenos, seeded and finely chopped

3 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Aunt Julie's Teriyaki Marinade

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. oil (vegetable or canola)

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 T. sugar

2 T. vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together and pour over meat, poultry, or fish; cover tightly and marinate for 2 - 24 hours. (I use Zip-lock freezer bags.)

Sarah's Salad

The classic! I think we started making Sarah's Salad a tradition when Jen worked at the Lion House when she was in high school. I love this salad. (I had to make a couple of changes, one out of necessity and the other by choice. I used American cheese from the deli and I had to make my own Miracle Whip because we were out - if we had any to begin with. Maybe it had just been a long time, but it tasted even better than I remembered.)

1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

3 strips bacon, chopped (I used bacon crumbles from Costco, and as Jen says in the first Sisters' Cookbook, it's WAY more than three strips)

1/2 10-oz pkg frozen peas

1/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 c. shredded or cubed Swiss cheese (this is where I substituted American cheese)

2/3 c. chopped green onion

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. Miracle Whip

Wash and drain lettuce. Dry thoroughly! Dice bacon and saute until crisp; drain on a paper towel. run hot water over frozen peas and drain. Mix mayo and Miracle Whip together.

In a salad bowl, layer lettuce, sugar, salt, pepper, peas, cheese, onion, and mayo mixture in that order. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss all together right before serving. Garnish (ahahahaha) with bacon.

Raman Chicken Salad

Brian's sister Dena brings this salad to family parties and it was always a favorite of mine and Brian's, but now it's Bridget's all time favorite too. Probably shouldn't admit this, but our rice vinegar is five years old and we used it anyway! Alexa said it was fine.

Dressing:

3/4 cup Canola oil

3/4 cup rice vinegar

4 Tbsp sugar

2 season packets from Chicken Top Ramen

Whisk together and set aside.

Salad:

1 head of cabbage, shredded (I sliced it thin, then chopped)

2 pkgs chicken ramen noodles, boiled for EXACTLY two minutes and drained

1 Costco rotisserie chicken, chopped (the equivalent of about 3 cooked chicken breasts) 

4 green onions, sliced

4 Tbsp sliced almonds

4 Tbsp sunflower seeds, salted and roasted

Mix dry ingredients and pour dressing over. Stir with tongs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for as long as possible and for at least two hours. (If the recipe is doubled, which it always is for family parties, still use just one head of cabbage and don't add more chicken.)