Monthly Archives: July 2014

Sweet Tea and Fresh Bread

Breads

Hi everyone! I’m finally done with my summer class and back in the kitchen making some new recipes! As you might know, zucchini is in season currently. We have a ton growing in our garden, so we had to find use for it all! My goal was to create a healthier-than-normal-but-still-delicious recipe for zucchini bread. This recipe has 3.5 servings of fruits and veggies per batch, and is also full of fiber, protein, and vitamins. Check it out:

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp applesauce (I used unsweetened, but you can use sweetened or cinnamon if you have that on hand)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded fresh zucchini
  • ½ cup shredded fresh peeled carrots
  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ cup white flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 4 tsp cinnamon (more or less to taste)

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease and flour two 9×5″ loaf pans. Mix the wet ingredients together in a mixing bowl, and then gradually stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the wet ingredients. It should look like this:

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Divide the batter equally into the two loaf pans, and bake for 50 min to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

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Remove the loaves from the oven and set on a cooling rack until the pans are fully cooled. Then, run a knife along the edge of the loaf and turn the pan upside down so that the loaf falls out onto the cooling rack. Next step: eat it to your heart’s content, knowing full well that you’re getting your daily servings of fruits and veggies from this bread!

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To go along with the zucchini bread, I made a quick batch of sweet tea, which was a brand new adventure for me! This recipe is super simple.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tea bags of your choice (I used Lipton black decaf)
  • 1 quart boiling water from the kettle
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar, more or less to taste

Put the tea bags in a quart container and pour the boiling water over them. Let the tea steep for about 5-7 minutes, and pour the sugar in while the tea is still super hot. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Then, remove the tea bags and let the tea cool.

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And then, of course, you can enjoy your sweet tea with your favorite straw! Mine just happens to be a color changing one. You can’t go wrong with a fun straw!

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These recipes are so simple, but so yummy! The zucchini bread is perfect for young kids who don’t like to eat fruits and veggies (and everyone else, too!), and the tea is a delicious treat on a hot summer day. I hope you’re all enjoying your summer as much as I am, and I hope you get to try these recipes!

That Food in SoCal, Though…

Miscellaneous

Hey everyone! I’m back from my vacation in California! I was there for one jam-packed fun-filled week that was perfect for a foodie, and I’d love to share some of my experiences and creations with you!

First on the list is a California must-have for all people. No excuses. It’s In-N-Out burger. Simple little burger joint? Anything but! Literally everyone I know who has visited California or lives in California loves In-N-Out. Maybe it’s the burgers, maybe it’s the animal-style fries, maybe it’s the shakes. Whatever it is, they’re doing it right. Their burgers are juicy, the buns are toasted, the toppings are fresh, the fries are crispy and perfectly salted, and the shakes are thick and creamy. PLUS they can wrap your burger in lettuce instead of a bun if you want. This place rocks!

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Then, we went to a little restaurant called Mama Cozza’s. Let’s just say Guy Fieri from the Food Network visited twice for his show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and loved it both times. Yeah, it’s that good. And I got to meet the original owner! To start you off, they give you little crunchy breadsticks and a veggie platter, and then they bring out your (probably huge) meal. Mine came with soup and a salad, just in case I was feeling peckish after my whole meal and a side of pasta. Then, they finish you off with a shot of anisette, which is a licorice flavored liqueur.

Story time: I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food, and Guy Fieri is not. And when I saw the menu items he had recommended, I forgot that they’d probably be spicy. So of course I ordered the spiciest thing on the menu- sausage, potatoes, and chicken in a jalapeño sausage gravy. Delicious, but I could only take about 4 bites. And then when I tried to eat the leftovers, the spice had, let’s say, matured. My lips were on FIRE! However, it was worth it. The food is absolutely delicious, and their bread is to die for! Below are pictures of Guy Fieri’s visit, the bread, my dish, and the original owner and his wife with their newborn son (the current owner).

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Now came my time in the kitchen. My aunt, who I was with, is a great cook and loves trying new recipes. This one was a pork chop with a blueberry-peach salsa. For sides, we made wild rice pilaf, grilled pineapple, and roasted asparagus. YUM!

If I remember correctly, the salsa had blueberries, peaches, lime juice, basil, shallots, scallions, and olive oil. It was delicious just by itself! But then put over the tender pork chops, it was incredible.

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Our next dish was grilled rib-eye steak with Montreal seasoning, garlic Parmesan bread, and steamed broccoli. The bread was my personal creation, so I’ll share the recipe with you!

Ingredients:

  • Sourdough wheat bread, sliced (Or just plain sourdough bread)
  • 1 stick softened butter or margarine
  • 3 cloves fresh minced garlic
  • Parmesan cheese to taste
  • 4 Tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (my aunt had this in her garden, so I used it, but it’s not entirely necessary if you don’t have it)

Mix the butter, garlic, Parmesan, and parsley together in a small mixing bowl. Spread the butter mixture in a thin layer on both sides of every slice of bread. Then, right before dinner, set your oven to broil and put the slices of bread on a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet right under the broiler, and just let the bread toast until it’s golden brown and crunchy.

This bread has a terrific savory flavor, and goes great with any dinner. We had it with our lasagna the next night, and it was just as good as with the steak!

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The final stop was at Catalina Island, where I got a good old fashioned corn dog. While this isn’t anything of culinary genius, I just love a good corn dog!

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Our food along this trip obviously wasn’t the main part of our vacation (although it was a fantastic part!). What really mattered was that we all were together and enjoyed each other’s company, and got to do a ton of fun things together! I hope you all get to have as much fun with your families as I did with mine.

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The Red, White, and Blue Goods

Miscellaneous

Hi friends! I’m hoping everyone’s Fourth of July weekend was absolutely enjoyable. I know mine was! I spent mine with friends and family and went to the Boston Pops and Fireworks Spectacular, as well as a Boston Red Sox game! I also did a bit of baking, with a patriotic theme to it.

First off, I made a “red, white, and blue parfait” for a dessert when our friends came for dinner. Here’s how it works:

Ingredients:

  • 1 box instant vanilla pudding (I used the box that makes 6, 1/2 cup servings)
  • 1 quart strawberries, cut up
  • 1 pint blueberries
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Put a layer of chopped strawberries in the bottom of a parfait cup (or in my case, a plastic Chinet tumbler!). Put a dollop of pudding over that, and then a layer of blueberries on the pudding. Put a last layer of pudding over the blueberries, and then add a few chopped strawberries for garnish. Top with whipped cream right before serving.

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My other creation was inspired by the All-American summer food: hamburgers! It’s a super simple sweet take on the best cookout food around.

Ingredients:

  • Reduced-fat Nilla wafers
  • York Peppermint Patties

All you do is take two Nilla wafers, and put a Peppermint Patty between the cookies to make a cookie sandwich. The resemblance to a burger is uncanny.

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Confession: I tried making these little sandwiches with bacon on top, just to see if bacon really goes with anything. Let me tell you, it doesn’t. My adventurous boyfriend and I gave it a try, and while it didn’t really gross us out, you couldn’t even taste the bacon, and it gave the sandwiches a weird flavor.

Here we are trying it with bacon:

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I guess it turns out bacon doesn’t quite go with everything. It just goes with everything but these little burgers!

These sweet treats are so easy and yummy! Definitely give them a try, because they’re so simple that they only take about a minute each to make.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of the Boston fireworks:

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I hope you all enjoyed your Fourth as much as I did, and I hope you continue to enjoy your summers! Just remember, it doesn’t need to be a holiday weekend for you to spend time with friends and family. Make it as often as possible!