Loaded Zucchini Carrot Muffins

(Adapted from simplyscratch.com)

YIELD: 8 muffins PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOK TIME: 15-18 minutes, CALORIES: 225

1-1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
1 whole egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil (recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, which would probably work)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries (I used dried cranberries)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepared your muffin pan.
2. In a small bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl combine the grated zucchini, carrot, one egg and oil.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Lastly, add in the chopped pecans and dried cherries. Stir and spoon into the muffin tin. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Lemonade Cookies

This recipe comes from a dangerous little cookbook called Cookies for a Year of Celebrations. The cookbook is published by Crisco, so you can imagine how healthy it is. Jared received the book as a Christmas gift, and this particular recipe is his favorite so far. The cookies spread out quite a bit and cook flat, but they are tasty.

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup Butter Flavor Crisco (Jared uses half butter, half shortening)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)

1. Heat oven to 375. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
2. Place sugar, shortening, lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla and lemon extract in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add egg; beat well.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to shortening mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.
4. Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle tops with coconut, if desired.
5. Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are lightly browned. (Watch closely; do not allow coconut to burn.) Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Mint Lemonade

This is not quick lemonade, but it is delicious! I found it in a wonderful (HUGE) cookbook called The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine, by Chef John D. Folse. The recipe notes say, "This wonderful, intense beverage was created by Robert Whitehurst. His method of extracting essential oils from fresh mint is unique. This recipe requires a gallon jar with a tight-fitting lid."

Prep Time: 12 hours
Yield: 1 gallon (for the record, I made a half-recipe in 2 Mason jars, and it worked just fine)

Ingredients

1 cup fresh mint
juice of 4 lemons
1 lemon peel, thinly sliced
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 gallon water

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves, creating a simple syrup. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, fill gallon jar with hot tap water (190 degrees). Allow jar to become very hot to touch, then discard water. Immediately put mint into jar and screw lid on tightly. Refrigerate, allowing jar to cool completely. A partial vacuum seal will be created when jar cools, extracting all flavorful oils from mint.
3. Remove lid from jar, then add lemon juice, lemon peel and syrup. Shake vigorously, then fill to top with water. Replace lid and allow to mature overnight.

Pumpkin Donuts

This recipe from my sister, Sylvia, almost makes me ready for Halloween even in early spring.

1/3 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sour cream (may use light or fat free if desired)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups white flour (approx.)

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a large bowl.  
2. Add the pumpkin, egg, brown sugar, sour cream, butter, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. 
3. Stir in whole wheat flour one cup at a time, beating well.  
4. Add white flour 1/4 cup at  a time till dough is soft and kneadable.  
5. Turn dough out of bowl and knead for 8-10 minutes adding flour as needed, but keeping the dough as soft as possible. 
6. Cover dough with a towel and let rise till almost doubled.  
7. Punch down dough and roll out to about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut with donut cutter and place donuts on greased baking sheets to rise.  
8. When the donuts are nearly double in size, heat oven to 375.  Bake donuts for 20 to 25 minutes or till done.  Use either the glaze recipe below or roll them in melted butter and cinnamon sugar.  

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (more or less may be needed)

Place sugar in a bowl, add syrup till the glaze is the right consistency to dip the donuts.

Cocoa Brownie Drops

This recipe comes from Cooking Light, by way of my sister. The fact that it comes from Cooking Light would suggest that these are in some way healthy, but blissfully, that is not the case. The comments are Sylvia's.

3/4 cups margarine (it says reduced calorie; I use regular)

2/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs (it says egg substitute, but that's silly)

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 cup chocolate chips (mini are nice, if you have them)

1. Cream softened margarine and sugars, add egg, beat well.  
2. Add combined dry ingredients. Mix and then add chocolate chips.  
3. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. (This varies, so check the first batch carefully and often.)

The recipe says it makes 4 dozen, but the dough is really good so I don't think we've ever really gotten that many. 

Creamy Bean Soup

This is another recipe from my sister, Sylvia. She says, "This recipe is really simple, but we love it.  Between the soaking and cooking in a crock pot, it takes lots of time but very little actual effort." As usual, I've left her comments intact. I've added notes for making the recipe gluten-free.

6 cups water
2 cups dry pinto beans
2 Tbsp. dry onion (you can use fresh as well, I like dried better in this)
4 chicken bouillon cubes (not all bouillon cubes are gluten-free, so check the box, if necessary)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup light cream or milk
1 Tbsp. flour (use 1/2 T cornstarch if you want to go gluten-free)
Bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for garnish

1. Soak beans in water overnight (I do this in the crock pot so its all ready to go the next morning). Put in crock pot first thing in the morning with onion, bouillon, and salt. 
2. Cook on low till about half an hour before dinner. The actual cooking time is about 12 hours if your crock pot is low, a bit quicker if the crock pot keeps it at a simmer.  
3. Turn crock pot to high. Mix milk/cream and flour, add to soup.  Serve with bacon, cheese and sour cream.  

Sylvia's Favorite Wheat Bread Recipe

My darling sister was kind enough to pass along her go to recipe for whole wheat bread. Here it is, in all its glory. I've left her comments, because they are helpful and because I rather like to hear her voice in my head while I'm baking. She's a pretty awesome sister, after all!

NOTE: I am still experimenting with this recipe. I made it today and ended up using around 15 cups of flour. Also, when I followed the baking instructions, the loaves didn't rise sufficiently and took longer to bake. Taste and consistency were OK, but they really needed to rise more. I think the difference is at least partly that I have a gas oven, while Sylvia cooks with electric. Next time, I'll let the dough rise more in the pans and adjust the baking process a bit.

7 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup gluten
10 to 12 cups wheat flour (depends on the day, humidity and the alignment of the planets)
3/4 cup brown sugar or honey (honey is wonderful but brown sugar is so much easier to measure)
1 Tbsp. salt (recipe actually called for 2 which was too much I thought)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is lovely, bottled is fine, a crushed vitamin C tablet works too)
3/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water (I add a bit of the sugar with this for the cool bubbles and to make sure the yeast is good).  
2. Add gluten and 6 cups wheat flour. Mix thoroughly. Let sit for a few minutes while you gather everything else (apparently this helps the texture of the bread).  
3. Add sugar or honey, salt, lemon juice and vegetable oil, mix thoroughly.  
4. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time till kneading consistency.  Knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed (but don't overdo, keep the dough from getting too stiff). 
5. Let rest for half an hour (or more if you get side tracked).  Shape into loaves, this makes six 8x4 loaves or four 9x5 loaves.  Let rise for about 30 minutes.  Put in cold oven and turn oven on to 350. Cook for 40 minutes for 9x5 loaves. (You can do the same time for 8x4 loaves or try 35 minutes. For the smallest loaf tins, bake for 25 minutes.) Turn out of pans to cool.