chocolate zucchini cake

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 1/2 c. flour
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. soda
2 c, grated zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c, oil
1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk w/ vinegar

Mix sugar, eggs and oil. Stir dry ingredients and add alternately with buttermilk. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle with 2/3 c. chocolate chips and 1/2 c. chopped nuts. Bake at 325 for 35 to 40 minutes.   ( Do not ice)

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

Hate to say it again but these were inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest.  I modified the recipe and mine is even easier then the original.  These would be an easy after school snack but they worked well for dinner served with a salad.

3 - 4 tortillas, any flavor, it's your choice
Pizza sauce, I had 9 oz. and they were pretty saucy
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni, she used mini but I only had pepperonis that were so large I had to cut them into 1/8s

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty can, cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each tortilla. Press firmly enough, using a rocking motion, until it cuts through the tortilla.

Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. Note: it doesn’t have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!

Pour pizza sauce into a bowl, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Drop about 1-2 tbs of sauce in each tortilla, this really varies according to how much sauce you like! Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over each mini pizza. Place pepperoni on top of each pizza.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Wait for pizzas to cool, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizza’s should pop out with ease!

Southwest Egg Rolls

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa.

Granola Bars

After much testing I think that we finally have a "Granola Bar". Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted from King Arthur Flour. Makes about 30 servings, 228 calories per serving.

3 1/3 cups oats
1/3 cup demerara cane sugar
2/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup flaxseed, ground
1/2 cup craisins
3 cups almonds, chopped*
2/3 cup almond butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an cookie sheet with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or almond butter and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

If you want more control over portion size take a cookie cutter and scoop 1/3 cup of the granola into it. Press down the mixture until it is packed, remove the cookie cutter and repeat.

Bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack.

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried pples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes.

Crockpot Granola

I found this recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking and wanted to give it a try. I knew that I would be home most of the morning but had to run an errand and thought I would only be a few minutes but that turned into 45 minutes so when I got home my granola was a little more done in some places than in others but it tastes so yummy! I am attempting another batch today and changing the recipe up just a little to work for me and that is the recipe that I have put below.

5 cups oats

1/2 cup steel cut oats - I put this in just because they were in the house, can be omitted

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 T flax seeds

1 1/2 cups almonds - I didn't cut them up because we like to eat them just the way they are

1 cup Craisins - it was what I have in the house but you could use any dried fruit

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut - I put this in for Steve but he better not get used to it, can be omitted

Put all the dry ingredients into your crockpot. You'll need at least a 4 quart crockpot (I own two crockpots and I used the smaller one last time and it was hard for me really stir it and so I am using the bigger one today and it works a lot better).

Melt the butter in the microwave, add the honey and applesauce. Pour over dry ingredients and toss well.

Cover but vent with a chopstick or wooden spoon, this is so that the moisture escapes and the granola dries out. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often until a golden brown. If you can smell the granola cooking, go stir or it will burn if you don't keep an eye on it.

Dump out on some parchment paper and let cool. Eat with milk like cereal, warmed with milk like oatmeal, or as is. Seal well in an air-tight container or in a Ziploc. Granola freezes well.

In my search to learn more about homemade granola I ran across an article in the USA Weekend that listed other ingredients that could be add to the basic granola recipe.

1. Classic Granola Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dark or golden raisins Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon You can replace the 1/4 cup of honey with 2 Tbs. each of maple syrup and molasses.

2. Crunchy Granola Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup slivered almonds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 2 Tbs. sesame seeds, 6 Tbs. currants Flavoring: none

3. Granola with Tropical Flavoring Add the coconut along with the cashews and banana chips. Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped roasted unsalted cashews, 1/4 cup chopped banana chips, 1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

4. Granola with Cherries and Almonds Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dried cherries Flavoring: 3/4 tsp. almond extract

5. Trail Mix Granola Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, 1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 cup dark or golden raisins, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips* Flavoring: none *Stir chips into the granola only after it has completely cooled.

6. Orange-Berry Granola with Pecans Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped pecans,1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup dried blueberries Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

7. Pear Granola with Hazelnuts and Vanilla Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, 1/4 cup chopped dried cherries, 1/4 cup chopped dried pears Flavoring: 1 tsp. vanilla extract

8. Orange-Flavored Granola with Pistachios, Mangos and Dates Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped roasted pistachios, 1/4 cup chopped dates, 1/4 cup chopped dried mangos Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest and 1/4 tsp. allspice