Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
It’s that time of year. Zucchini time. Maybe I should call it, “What do I do with all my zucchini time?” Zucchini and other summer squash are in abundance right now. This recipe is another, tasty way, to use them.
These are wonderfully spiced, moist cupcakes. Instead of frosting them, I decided to top them with melted butter and cinnamon sugar. It’s something I’ve done with muffins, in the past. I didn’t see why I couldn’t do the same thing with cupcakes.
It was a really good idea. The cupcakes stand up well in summer heat. Besides, not everyone likes frosting.
As an added bonus- it is a another recipe using zucchini, and that is never a bad thing.
Spiced Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup olive oil
1½ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. buttermilk
1½ t. vanilla
2½ c. grated zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
Topping:
½ c. butter, melted
½ c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 24 muffin cups or use paper liners. Mix together the dry ingredients. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, olive oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture, just until incorporated. Stir in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in pans over a wire rack for at least 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Dip top of cupcakes in melted butter, then dip in the cinnamon sugar. Place on rack to finish cooling off. Makes 24.
Crinkled Phyllo Pastry Dessert
I had a hard time giving this recipe a name. The base is phyllo with a mix of butter and custard, baked until golden brown. It is not hard to make, but it really is special. I topped mine with crushed toasted pistachios. My guests, including a fellow baker, loved it. It is not overly sweet and tastes so good.
If you are wary to work with phyllo dough, this is a great recipe to start with. The phyllo is just taken, two sheets at a time and kind of folded accordion style, then placed in the baking dish. Tears and rips in the dough don’t matter. Just get the sheets of dough in the pan. At that point, the hardest part is over. The rest is just toasting and adding the rest of the ingredients in stages and baking until golden brown.
I topped mine with chopped pistachios, but you could top with berries, other nuts or a combination.
Here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Crinkled Phyllo Pastry Dessert
8 oz. phyllo dough
1 stick butter melted
2 large eggs
1 cup milk or half and half
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
Optional Toppings: pistachios, berries
Defrost the phyllo according to package instructions. Preheat the oven to 350°.
Take 2 pieces of phyllo at a time, layering them over each other. Hold the sheets together at the top, letting them hang down from your fingers. Begin to crinkle the sheets by folding them over each other accordion-style until the bottom reaches the top.
Lay the folded dough in an ungreased baking pan starting at the short side. Repeat step 3, folding all of the layers of dough and placing them in the pan until it is full. Bake for 10 minutes. While baking, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the oven, and evenly drizzle the butter on top of the dough. Bake again for 10 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and sugar together in a small bowl until it is smooth. Remove the pan from the oven, and evenly pour the egg mixture over the dough. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the phyllo dough is golden brown and flaky to the touch. Top with pistachios and berries, if desired, and enjoy!
Onion Prosciutto Bread
I have made a lot of different breads in my life. This is one of my absolute favorites. The bread has a wonderful, chewy texture and is studded with onions, garlic and the smoky flavor of prosciutto. It can also be made with pepperoni instead of the proscuitto What’s not to love?
I first made this bread a long time ago. I even shared the recipe in bread baking classes. I only had the recipe in hard copy and at one point, I could not find it. Over time, I kind of forgot about it. Until a little over a year ago when I was going through a pile of old recipes and found it!! I decided to make it right away. It is every bit as good as I remember. I have shared slices of this bread with friends. The feedback has been great.
I made a few minor changes to the original recipe- a little more garlic and salt, but that was it. You don’t want to mess around with perfection. 🙂
I got a request for this bread from a friend whose mom is under the weather. I had shared this bread with her before. So I decided to make it again today.
I love the bread toasted and buttered.
Onion Prosciutto (or Pepperoni) Bread
1 packet active dry yeast
¼ t. sugar
1⅔ c. warm water, 105-115 degrees F, divided
4-4½ c. flour
1 T. salt
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, minced- about 1-1½ cups
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz. prosciutto or pepperoni, minced- 1½ cups
Cornmeal
1 egg
2 t. water
In large mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup warm water with the sugar, 3 tablespoons of the flour and yeast. Stir until dissolved and let sit until mixture gets bubbly, about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the water, 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Stir until well mixed. Add enough of the flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface. Let rest 3 minutes, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Dough should be on the soft side. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm place until dough has doubled in size. While dough is rising, prepare the onion mixture. Sauté the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until just tender, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Set aside to cool and stir in the prosciutto. Once the dough has risen, punch down and place on a floured surface. Roll dough out into a circle, about ½-inch thick. Sprinkle the onion-prosciutto mixture evenly over the dough. Fold the sides in, in thirds- like folding a piece of paper to go in an envelope. Then fold in the top and bottom in the same way. The dough will look like a bundle. Place back in the bowl, cover and let rise again until doubled. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Let rest a few minutes, then knead a couple of times. Roll the dough out again into the big circle. Do the same folding that you did before- sides folded in thirds, then the top and bottom folded in. This helps to distribute the onion-prosciutto mixture evenly. Place the dough on a baking sheet lightly greased and coated with cornmeal. Shape the dough into a 14-inch loaf. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a pan with hot water on the bottom rack of the oven. Combine the egg with the 2 teaspoons of water, mix well and brush lightly over the bread. With a sharp knife make three slashes on the top of the bread. Place in oven and bake 25 minutes. Remove the pan of water and bake another 25 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Makes one very large loaf.
Pesto Sauce
In cooking camp yesterday the kids made fresh pesto sauce. I wasn’t 100% sure if they would like, but it turns out it was one of their favorite dishes.
Pesto is most often made with basil, but there are a lot of variations out there. Pesto can be made from parsley, sun dried tomatoes, spinach or mint.
I must admit to being a big fan of the original.
I make pesto often when I have fresh basil. I also freeze basil with olive oil, so I can make it all year long. Pesto can be tossed with pasta, rice, potatoes or other veggies. I also like pesto on chicken.
Basil Pesto Sauce
1 c. tightly packed basil leaves
1/4 c. olive oil, or more as needed
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
1/2 c. pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pecans or walnuts- I like to toast the nuts first
1 c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients, except the cheese, in a blender and mix until smooth. Stir in the cheese and toss over hot, cooked pasta or use as a sauce on meat and poultry. Sauce will keep a few days in the fridge and makes about 1 1/2 cups, enough for 1 lb. of cooked pasta.
Homemade Raspberry Liqueur
I make a lot of different liqueurs. Raspberry liqueur is probably one of my favorites. It reminds me of a warm summer afternoon.
I love raspberries. My parents had a row of raspberry bushes at the back of the yard, so I grew up enjoying them fresh. I preserve raspberries to enjoy all year long. I freeze berries, make jams and jellies and dehydrate some.
I also enjoy using some to make homemade raspberry liqueur. You just start with alcohol – I most often use vodka – then you add raspberries. I sweeten it later on, but you can leave it unsweetened, if you prefer.
Its beautiful color and great flavor make it nice for sipping, or used in mixed drinks. Think of it as just another food preservation method. Here is the recipe, in case you want to make it. Makes a great gift, too.
You can use fresh or frozen berries. You can also use black , purple or golden raspberries in this recipe.
Homemade Raspberry Liqueur
1 lb. raspberries*
3 c. vodka, you could use brandy
1 ¼ c. sugar
Combine fruit and vodka and let stand 2 -4 weeks. Stir in sugar and age 3 months. Strain and filter. Makes 3-4 cups.
*You can use frozen berries, too.
Peach and Blueberry Cake
This cake is the perfect summer dessert. It is moist and filled with the fruits of summer. It also travels well, so you can box it up and take it along to the park for a picnic or to a cookout.
The cake is pretty simple to make. The batter can be mixed by hand- no need for long beating times or for getting out the mixer. In the time it takes to preheat the oven, you can have the cake ready to bake.
The batter and fruit are layered in the pan, along with the cinnamon sugar.
I added a citrus/powdered sugar glaze, once the cake was cooled, but it is optional.
So here is the recipe.
Peach and Blueberry Cake
1 c. oil, I used avocado oil
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. lime juice- you can use lemon, instead
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
2 medium peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1½ c. blueberries- fresh or frozen
½ c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon and set aside
Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 t. lemon zest
2 T. lime juice- or enough to make glaze of pouring consistency.
Grease a 9×13 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Combine oil, eggs, vanilla and juice. Stir until smooth. Set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, 2 cups of sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine dry ingredients, then add the oil/egg mixture. Stir until batter is smooth. It will be thick. Place ½ of batter in prepared pan. Arrange peach slices on batter and top with the blueberries. Combine the ½ cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle on ½ of the cinnamon mixture. Pour on remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Bake 45 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool. Serve the cake as is, or make the citrus glaze and drizzle it over cooled cake. Serves 12.
Sweet Corn Ice Cream
This is one of those times when you just need to trust me. Ice cream flavored with sweet corn might sound odd to you, but it is really quite tasty. The corn flavor actually works very well when added to traditional ice cream ingredients like cream, sugar and eggs.
What a fun dessert to make for your next summer barbecue. You can even let people taste it to see if they can guess the secret ingredient!
I had heard of ice cream being made with corn before, but only tasted it recently. A cousin of mine made some and I was lucky enough to try it. It was really good. Corn ice cream is popular in Mexico, at least that is what I read.
I decided to make some of my own. It was perfect timing. I had some cream and half and half that needed to be used soon. I also had 2 ears of corn in the fridge. You can just cut the corn from the cob and add it to the recipe. That will leave you with kernels of corn in the finished ice cream. Nothing wrong with that. I pureed the corn mixture, because I wanted a smoother finished ice cream. Either is fine, based on your preference. I used 2 ears of corn- that was all I had. I could see adding another ear of corn for a more corny flavor. Frozen corn could also have been used.
Sweet Corn Ice Cream
2 ears sweet corn
1½ c. half and half
1 c. heavy whipping cream
¾ c. sugar- or a little more or less, to taste
4 egg yolks
1 t. vanilla
Scrape the corn kernels off the cobs and place in a medium saucepan. Add the half and half and the cream and bring to a simmer. You can leave the kernels as is, or puree the mixture at this point. I wanted a smoother ice cream, so I used my immersion blender to puree the corn in the pot. In a medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. Add ½ cup of the hot cream mixture to the eggs, whisking in well. Add another ½ cup of the cream mixture, whisking again. Add one last ½ cup of the hot cream and again, whisk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the cream and while whisking, simmer until mixture starts to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon. This will take about 5 minutes. Don’t use too high a heat, or you will scramble your eggs. Mixture should reach 160 degrees to be sure eggs are cooked. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a bowl. Allow ice cream base to cool down, then chill in fridge. Chilled mixture can be frozen in an ice cream maker once cold- in a few hours- or even the next day. Once mixture has been frozen in ice cream maker, place in a container and freeze until ready to serve. Makes about 5-6 cups of ice cream.
Homemade Dill Pickles
People think homemade pickles are difficult to make. They really aren’t. These dill pickles are easier than most.
To make them, you start by putting dill and garlic in clean jars. Then you add the cukes, cover them with the brine, and process. Can’t get much simpler.
You can play around with the seasonings a bit. To make the dill pickles a little more fun, I added 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to about half of the jars, for a spicy version.
To make the pickles crisper, you can add a fresh grape leaf to each jar with the spices. For best results, use really fresh cucumbers. Pickle them as soon after harvest as possible.
If you didn’t grow pickling cucumbers, they are available at most farm markets. Buying from a local farmer means you are likely to get a fresher product than what might be at the grocery store.
Easy Dill Pickles
30-40 pickling cucumbers, 5 inches long, scrubbed and ends trimmed off
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. canning or pickling salt (non-iodized)
1 quart vinegar, 5% acidity
1 quart water
7 fresh dill heads
3 T. pickling spice
7 garlic cloves, peeled, optional
Mix together the sugar, salt, vinegar, water and pickling spices and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes. Place a dill head in the bottom of seven clean, hot pint jars. Add the garlic, if using. Meanwhile cut trimmed and washed cucumbers into halves or quarters lengthwise and pack upright into the jars. Trim the length, if needed to fit no higher than to the shoulder of the jar. Pour over the hot brine leaving ½ -inch of headspace. Wipe rims and screw on lids. Place in a simmering water bath and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes. Remove and cool. Makes 7 pints.
Fresh Peach Cake
Fresh Peach Cake
If you need a quick dessert or even a nice addition for a brunch this cake is a great choice. It really is so easy to make. It can be served warm, but it’s good at room temp, too. It’s not too sweet, which I like.
This was a new recipe for me. I had tweaked an old recipe that used blueberries. I was very happy with how this worked out. I wanted about 1 1/2 cups of chopped fruit. I had 2 very large peaches and that worked out great. You might need a third or even fourth peach if yours are smaller.
Next, I want to try this recipe with plums!!
Fresh Peach Cake
Batter:
2 c. biscuit mix*
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
2 T. oil
1 egg
1 1/2 c. chopped fresh pitted and peeled peaches
Topping:
1/2 stick ( 1/4 cup) cold butter, cut in small cubes
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9×9-inch pan. Beat all batter ingredients together, except peaches, for about 30 seconds. Fold in fruit and pour into prepared pan. Place topping ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your fingers or a fork until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on the cake batter in the pan. Bake for about 35 minutes. Cake should be golden brown on top and test clean with a toothpick. Serve warm or at room temp. Great with ice cream or whipped cream.
*Like Bisquick or Jiffy mix. I make my own. Recipe follows.
Biscuit Mix
8 c. flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk (or 1 more cup powdered milk)
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening*
Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 10 cups.
* You can use butter instead, but keep mix in fridge and use in a couple of months. You can also use coconut oil- also best to keep this version in the fridge.
Right out of the oven.
Canning Tomatoes
I love my home-canned tomatoes. They taste so much better than anything than comes in a can. Worth the effort.
You have options when canning tomatoes- crushed, juice, sauce- and more. The one option you won’t see for home- canned tomatoes is diced. There is a reason for that. When tomatoes are canned commercially, calcium is added to keep them firm. That is why commercially canned diced tomatoes hold their shape. Home canned diced tomatoes will just cook down, get very soft and not hold their shape. Canning tomatoes whole will give you a firmer end product, if that is what you want.
I have been asked several times in canning classes, if it is safe to can yellow or orange tomatoes. We have all heard that yellow and orange tomatoes are lower in acid, so are they still safe to can? The answer is yes, they are safe to can.
Why?
In spite of you might have been told, orange and yellow tomatoes are not acid free or low acid.
Truth is, that yellow and orange tomatoes have just as much acid as red tomatoes.
Well, for the most part at least. In terms of acidity or Ph, yellow and orange tomatoes are about average. Some cultivars have more, some less. Bottom line is that all tomatoes are safe to can- as long as you acidify them.
Adding salt is optional, and is for flavor only. Use canning/pickling salt or non-iodized salt when canning.
Here are some popular canning recipes to get you started.
All follow the NCHFP (National Center for Home Food Preservation) recommended procedures.
Crushed Tomatoes
Peel and core tomatoes , trim off any bad spots and quarter. Place about 1/4 of your prepared tomatoes in the kettle and cook, stirring constantly over high heat. Use a potato masher to crush tomatoes and extract juices. Once they are boiling add remaining tomatoes, stirring constantly. You don’t need to crush these tomatoes. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. In clean, hot jars add needed acidity listed below. You can also add 1 teaspoon of canning salt per quart if desired. Ladle in hot tomatoes, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean and adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath. Pints 35 minutes, quarts, 45 minutes. 1,000-3000 ft over sea level add 5 minutes. Twenty-two pounds of tomatoes will yield about 7 quarts of tomatoes.
Whole Tomatoes in Juice
Use any extra tomatoes to make juice. I use tomatoes that are too big to can whole, or those that have blemishes that need to be trimmed. Cut up clean, unpeeled tomatoes in a kettle and cook, stirring often until tomatoes are mushy. Strain mixture, pressing on solids or run through a food mill or tomato juice extractor. Set aside,. Place peeled, whole tomatoes in kettle and add enough tomato juice to cover them. Heat to a simmer and simmer gently 5 minutes. Add lemon juice or citric acid to jars, using amounts listed below. Add salt, if desired. Add tomatoes and cover with hot juice, leaving 1/2 -inch headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process both pints and quarts 85 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Tomato Juice
Wash, stem and trim bruises off tomatoes. Cut into chunks. Add about 1 pound of tomatoes to kettle and bring to a boil while crushing. Continue to add additional cut up tomatoes slowly, keeping mixture boiling. This will keep the juice from separating later. Simmer an additional 5 minutes once the tomatoes have all been added. Press mixture through a strainer , sieve or food mill to remove seeds and skins. Add lemon juice or citric acid to jars according to directions listed below. Add salt if desired. Return juice to boil and add to prepared jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process n a boiling water bath pints 35 minutes and quarts 40 minutes. Add 5 minutes processing time at elevations between 1,001 and 3,000 ft.
Tomato Sauce
Prepare as for juice. After juice is made return to pot and start cooking down to desired thickness. You’ll lose about 1/3 of the volume for thin sauce and 1/2 of the volume for thick. Add lemon juice or citric acid to prepared jars as described below. Add salt if desired. Add boiling sauce leaving 1/4 -inch headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts. Add five minutes at 1,001-3,000 ft. elevation.
Acidity and Tomatoes
Tomatoes must be acidified before canning. When canning either whole, crushed or juiced tomatoes you must add either 2 T. bottled lemon juice per quart or 1/2 t. citric acid . For pint use 1 T. lemon juice or 1/4 t. citric acid. You can also use 4 T. (5%) vinegar per quart, but it will alter the flavor and is not recommended. You can add a little sugar to offset the flavor, if you like.
