Stir-Fried Zucchini

Stir-Fried Zucchini

Ingredients:

2 lbs. zucchini, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced (we double!)
¼ C olive or vegetable oil
1 t. salt
½ t. Italian seasoning
¼ t. pepper

In a large skillet, sauté the zucchini and garlic in oil until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with seasonings. Serve immediately.

Serving: 8
Recipe Given By: Quick Cooking J/A ’01, p. 17

Pancakes

Pancakes

Ingredients:
Mix together:
1 ½ C flour
1 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1 ¾ t. baking powder

Combine together:
1 or 2 slightly beaten eggs
3 T. melted butter
1 ¼ C milk

Mix the liquid ingredients quickly into the dry ingredients. Cook on griddle or nonstick pan. Serve with syrup and sausage.

Serving: 14 4” pancakes
Recipe Given By: Joy of Cooking

love my electric griddle!

My Comeuppance

** Check out Leward's comment in the last posting.**

I warned him that I was going to put up the picture. You rocked that tie, Dude! :) Anyway, it got me thinking of a similar accessory that my mother drags out every St. Patrick's Day so here's my comeuppance:

Guest Cook - Lee Fluty

A friend from college and I were talking on Facebook last night and he reminded me of his recipe for peanut butter bars. I have been making his recipe at Christmas since...well, let's just say...a long time ago. It struck me that this doesn't have to be made only during the holiday season, although that's when he gifted me with his culinary goodie. It would be a fun treat any time!

Lee is an accomplished musician, computer techie and it seems, quite the actor. (I never knew!) He always speaks highly of his lovely family and thank goodness for Facebook - now we can keep up with each other and reminisce about our college-days.

I'm sure you'll enjoy his humor as much as I do. So without further adieu...

Leward's Famous Peanut Butter Squares™

Ingredients:
· 1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
· 1/3 pound finely crushed graham crackers
· 1-1/2 cups creamy (or crunchy if you prefer) peanut butter
· 1/2 pound butter (margarine can be substituted, but if you’re only doing it to make this recipe more healthy, don’t bother)
· 1 pound semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you’re not a true chocoholic, milk chocolate can be substituted)

Directions:
Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl. You can do it in any order, but here's my time-tested method: Sift powdered sugar into bowl, pulverize graham crackers (I put them in a zipper bag and use a rolling pin) and stir them in (trust me - you don't want to use an electric mixer here, as powdered sugar and mucous membranes were never meant to come in contact with each other), add peanut butter and mix as well as you can with a large spoon, melt butter on stove and pour over the mixture, then get your hands into it to mix everything together thoroughly. Pad the mix evenly into a 9x13 pan. Wash or lick hands clean.

After you have munched on a few, melt the remaining chocolate chips. I used to do this on the stovetop, but found 1:45 - 2:00 in the microwave does the job pretty well with less risk of burning. Stir the chips to ensure they're completely melted, and then spread the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture, leaving enough on the sides of the bowl to satisfy any now-insatiable chocoholic cravings. Once you have licked all the chocolate off the melting bowl and washed it down with a large glass of non-lowfat milk, chill the choclified peanut butter mixture for 2-3 hours (until chocolate is hardened).

Cutting into squares is a little tricky, as the chilled chocolate will want to break along its own lines. I'd recommend scoring the chocolate a few times before actually cutting through it. You can also bring the finished masterpiece back to room temperature to cut it, but then the peanut butter mixture tends to crumble. Either way something's going to be a little messy, and of course you want your presentation to be perfect, so be prepared to eat all the broken pieces as you go, remembering of course that broken pieces have no calories, fat, or carbs.

Couldn't resist sharing his "Be Our Guest" stage picture...no picture of the food, but we caught the cook!

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

I've made these a few times in the last month. For cinnamon rolls, they are easy and delicious. Of course, all baked goods take a little time and effort, but they are sure worth it. At Christmas I make each of my neighbors a batch of these rolls to have sometime during Christmas week. This past year, they were asking for them before I could even get out the breadmaker. This recipe is a hit as a gift!

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:
1 C milk (70-80 degrees)
¼ C water (70-80 degrees)
¼ C butter, softened
1 egg
1 t salt
4 C bread flour
¼ C instant vanilla pudding mix
1 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast

FILLING:
¼ C butter, softened
1 C packed brown sugar
2 t ground cinnamon

FROSTING:
4 oz. Cream cheese, softened
¼ C butter, softened
1 ½ C confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ t milk
½ t vanilla extract

In bread machine pan, place first nine ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 min of mixing; add 1-2 T water or flour if needed.) When cycle is completed, turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Roll into a 17 x 10” rectangle. Spread with butter; sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 21 slices. Place 12 slices, cut side down, in a greased 13 x 9 x 2” baking pan and nine rolls in a 9” square baking pan. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 min. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks for 5 min. In a mixing bowl, beat frosting ingredients. Frost warm rolls. Store in a refrigerator.

Serves: 21 rolls
Recipe Given By: Quick Cooking S/O 2000 p. 28

Is your mouth watering yet?

Regina's Dinner Rolls

These are my family's favorite dinner rolls. We've had them for holiday meals and for leftover sandwiches. This easy recipe makes a batch of about 18 rolls. If you have a breadmaker, this is a great all-around recipe to try out.

Regina’s Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:
1 C water
2 T. butter, softened
1 egg
3 ¼ C bread flour
¼ C sugar
1 t. salt
3 t. active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine in order listed. Select dough setting. When done, grease a cookie sheet. Divide dough into 15-18 approximate pieces, place on cookie sheet. Brush with margarine or butter and cover and let rise for 30-40 min or until double in size. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 12-15 min or until golden brown.

Recipe Given by: my friend, Regina

Fried Rice w/ The Sauce

My all-time favorite "leftover" meal! We can use up grilled meat, random vegetables, and leftover rice to make the most delicious Asian-American entree. We always make a huge batch and it doesn't last long around our house. *The Sauce is the secret - so yummy!

Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1-1 ½ T. olive oil
1 ½ slices of onion, cut fine
1 ½-2 carrots, cut fine
sm amount of broccoli, cut fine, if desired
½ cob corn, if desired
¼ C water
1 chicken bouillon
2 italian squash, cut fine
2 eggs
1 ½ T olive oil
1 ½ T butter
leftover white rice (@ 2 C)
leftover meat

In a skillet, add 1-1 ½ T of olive oil and cook onions until clear. Then add the carrots, broccoli and corn, cook and stir for a few minutes. Then add ¼ C water and a chicken bouillon cube and squash. Cover and steam until squash is clear, about 5 min. Put these vegetables in a bowl. In the same skillet over med-high heat, scramble 2 eggs in 1 ½ T each of olive oil and butter. Be sure to break the yolks. Put in leftover white rice, and stir to get brown, about 5-7 min. Then add the vegetables and any leftover meat and stir to get warm. Add 4-5 T of “the sauce” or any soy based sauce, stir.

Recipe Given By: Mark Martens

The Sauce

Ingredients:
½ C soy sauce
½” of ginger, sliced
¼ C water
1 t. sesame seeds
½ C brown sugar
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 drops Tabasco

Boil these ingredients for 1 min., then strain and serve as a dipping sauce. (Can be doubled.) Serve with white rice.

Recipe Given By: Sofia Valenzuela/Jon Sugimoto