Bev's Zucchini Bread

My lovely friend, Bev, gave me this recipe years ago and it's still the BEST zucchini bread I have tasted.  She has since passed away from leukemia, but each time I make it I am reminded of all the wonderful times we had.

Bev's Zucchini Bread

Makes two loaves

2   2/3    c. sugar

2/3 c. shortening

2/3 c. water

4 eggs

3 c grated zucchini, seeds removed before grating

3  1/3 c flour

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. ground cloves

2 t. vanilla extract

1 c. chopped walnuts

Cream sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and beat just until blended.  Add the water and grated zucchini and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together, and then add gradually to the wet mixture, just until blended.  Stir in walnuts.

Divide batter between two well-greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes.  Use a toothpick to test for doneness in the center of each loaf.  It should come out clean.  Set on wire rack and cool for 8-10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan and remove bread from pan.  Continue cooling on the racks.  Store in baggie or air-tight container.....refrigerate if not eaten within a day.

I made four loaves yesterday....so yummy.  I even added some ground flax and chia seed this time.

 

Yum

 

The Crow's Nest

Coffee Hour Pumpkin Bars

Here's a great Fall recipe!

I got this recipe from a lady at church, who used to make them every Fall for our Sunday coffee hours.

Serve with hot coffee, hot chocolate, mulled or cold cider or just a big glass of cold milk!

Coffee Hour Pumpkin Bars

Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Icing:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

 Combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.  Spread the batter into a greased sided cookie sheet pan (jelly roll pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the icing:
Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add the sugar slowly until combined.  Mix in the vanilla and spread on cooled pumpkin bars.  Store them in the fridge.

 

 

Enjoy

 

The Crow's Nest

Triple Surprise Cookie Bars

Triple Surprise Cookie Bars

You'll want to keep this recipe!  It's one of our family favorites!

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

(please don't use margarine-butter is best for flavor and texture)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c flour

2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 c quick cooking oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecan or walnuts

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  I have found this to be an important step in making delicious, puffy cookies, so do beat it for a couple of minutes at least.  Add eggs and beat just until combined.  Blend in the flour, and then add the remaining ingredients, beating just until combined. The batter will be very stiff.

Line a  rectangle cookie sheet (with sides)(jelly roll pan) with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Place the batter on the foil and spread evenly with a spatula...sometimes I have even used my hands to spread it, as the batter is very stiff. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Don't overcook.  Cool and then lift foil and bars from pan, place on cutting board and cut into squares.  Serve with plenty of ice cold milk!  Store in airtight container to keep them moist and chewy.

Yum!

Hope you enjoy these wonderful cookie bars.

The Crow's Nest

Summer Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is a great summer meal for lunch or dinner.  It's easy to make and oh so good.  Give it a try.

Summer Chicken Salad

Two cans of canned chicken breast

 (you could also use cooked chicken breast, cut and shredded into small pieces)

2 T lemon juice

1/4 cup GOLDEN raisins (don't use regular ones)

1 t fresh chopped tarragon (or 1/2 t dried)

Mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, lemon juice, raisins and tarragon.  Add just enough mayo to hold everything together and mix well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on whole wheat or white bread with fancy lettuce and you have a tasty meal. The sweetness of the golden raisins and the tarragon make this dish delicious.  I have used this recipe for tea sandwiches at bridal showers and it is always a hit.

Enjoy

The Crow's Nest

Yummy Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken - EASY

If you love Chinese food, but hate the price of take out...you HAVE to try this recipe.  We at the Crow's Nest made it first, then our son and daughter-in-law at the Moose's Lodge made it after I recommended the recipe.  We served ours alongside some homemade pork fried rice...the Moose's den made a stir-fry of veggies and lo-mein, then placed the chicken on top. You can also make addition sauce in a pan, and simmer it to reduce to a thick sauce while the chicken is baking in the oven.  No matter what you decide to do....you will LOVE this recipe.

Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chicken:
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1/4 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar
4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

red pepper flakes, to taste(optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

 Rinse your chicken breasts well and then cut into bite size chunks.   Season with salt and pepper.

 Dip the chicken pieces into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.

 Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken, a few pieces at a time, until browned but not cooked through.

 Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish and set aside for a few minutes.

Whisk all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl and then pour evenly over the chicken. Toss to coat each piece thoroughly.  

Bake for one hour total, but during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes. 

Serve as desired with rice, lo-mein, etc.  

Hope you enjoy this great recipe.  We'd love to hear your feedback.

The Crow's Nest

Homemade Pizza Rolls (great for superbowl parties!)

It's that time of the year again!  Superbowl Sunday is coming up in a week and it's time to prepare party food!  My family got this recipe from a cooking magazine some years ago and we love it--The Foxes' Den made some recently for dinner as well.  It takes a bit of time to make but the value of this recipe is it freezes well and just tastes so good! :)

You will need:

4 Cups (16 oz.) shredded pizza cheese blend or mozzarella cheese 

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage, cooked and drained

2 packages (3 oz. each) sliced pepperoni, chopped

1 medium green pepper finely chopped

1 medium sweet red pepper chopped

1 medium onion chopped

2 jars (14 oz. each) pizza sauce

32 egg roll wrappers

vegetable oil OR shortening for frying (we use shortening as it seems to be a tad cheaper)

additional pizza sauce for dipping--warmed, optional

In a large bowl combine cheese, sausage, pepperoni, peppers and onion.  Stir in pizza sauce until combined.  Place about 1/4 cup filling in center of each egg roll wrapper.  Fold bottom corner over filling; fold sides over center filling.  Moisten remaining corner with water (not too much) and roll up tightly to seal. 

In an electric skillet heat 1 inch of oil to 325 degrees.  Fry pizza rolls 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  (I find sometimes I need to hold the pizza roll in the oil with some tongs to keep it sealed for a few seconds).  Drain on papers towels.  Serve with additional pizza sauce if desired.  It yields 32 pizza rolls.

The Foxes' Den

Family Favorite Apple Salad

This recipe is an old family favorite and makes a great dish to pass...full of fruit and nuts, it is also a healthier alternative to all the fat party foods.

Apple Salad

for a crowd, use the following portions:

10 medium apples, cored (not peeled) and cut into cubes

3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

1 cup or more of partially chopped walnuts (you want nice pieces in the salad)

2 cups raisins

1 cup mayo

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 c or more of milk

Chop all of your apples, celery and nuts. Add to LARGE bowl and toss with the sugar, mayo and milk.  You may have to add more of the last three ingredients, to your taste.  Stir until well coated and refrigerate, covered for at least 2 hours before serving.

Yummm - The Crow's Nest

Grilled Beef Satay Skewers

Everybody loves finger food when watching the big game. Try this recipe which I got last year from the FoodNetwork.

Grilled Beef Satay Skewers

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into 2-inch strips
• 20 wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 lemon, juiced 
• oil for grilling
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish, if desired

Directions

Thread the beef onto the soaked skewers, working the skewers in and out of the meat so that it stays in place while grilling. Combine yogurt, ginger, garlic, curry powder, and lemon juice in a shallow platter and stir to combine. Place the beef skewers into the yogurt marinade and turn them until they are well coated. Cover and let the meat marinate in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.

Place on grill or grill pan over medium heat and brush it with oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Grill the satays for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until nicely seared and cooked through. Serve piled on a large platter.

The Crow's Nest

Pulled Chicken Sliders with slaw

These tasty sliders are quick and easy to make.  You can use the rotisserie chicken as indicated in the recipe...or cook up some chicken breast in a little salted boiling water, and shred that instead.  I love the slaw in this recipe...it adds nice crunch and sweetness....mmmm

Pulled Chicken Sliders with slaw

This recipe makes 12 sliders, for a crowd, just double or triple it (or more)

Slaw

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion (I didn't have this so I omitted onion all together - it was still very good)
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle juice(from a jar of pickles)
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon or less salt 
• freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• 1 (16 ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage

 

Pulled Chicken

• 1 cup bottled BBQ sauce (I used honey bbq from Kraft)
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 cups roughly shredded rotisserie chicken (or cooked chicken)
• mini buns for sliders

Directions:

1. To prepare slaw, whisk all ingredients together, except cole slaw mix, in a large bowl. Add cole slaw mix and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
    
2. To prepare chicken, combine barbecue sauce, vinegar and chicken in a bowl. Heat in sauce pan or crock pot, until heated through.
3. To serve, place chicken on bun bottoms. Spoon slaw on top of chicken. Place remaining bun halves on top.

"Bun" Appetite - lol

The Crow's Nest

Kettle Corn

Enjoy this crunchy, salty treat while on the edge of your seat during the big game!

Kettle Corn

3/4 c. plain popcorn kernels

3-4 T sugar

3 T vegetable oil

Place the above ingredients in a large heavy pot.  Partially cover and cook over high heat, shaking the pot the entire time, until popping stops.  Season with salt and place into a large serving bowl - it's that simple!

Enjoy

The Crow's Nest

Chocolate Crispy Rice Football Treats

Football playoff season is here and very soon many will be gathering to watch this year's Super Bowl.  We'll be featuring some great party foods for the next couple of weeks, so keep checking back and become a follower today!

To kick off the final playoff games, I made these chocolate football crispy rice treats.  They were fast, easy, cheap, and tasty! They are perfect to take to a football party!

 

Chocolate Crispy Rice Football Treats

Prepare the usual rice crispy treat recipe, only use cocoa crispies instead. (not cocoa puffs!)

 

For a little extra chocolate flavor, I like to melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the marshmallow mixture prior to mixing in the cereal.  This is not necessary, but I like to add it.

Butter your hands and start shaping the mixture into footballs, and place on waxed paper.  

Once they've cooled, use either home-made or store-bought white frosting to "lace up the footballs."

Frosting: mix 1 c powdered sugar,  a little milk and vanilla, stir to preferred consistency.  You want it thick enough to pipe through a decorator's tube, or you can cut a tiny slit in the corner of a plastic bag and pipe your laces that way.

 

Take to your party and watch them disappear! 

Enjoy!

The Crow's Nest

KuKu Paka & Chapatti Flat Bread

It has been far too long since the Moose's Lodge contributed a crumb or two to the Crusty Loaf, so this will be the first of several to make up for lost time.  While we may not have posted anything in several months I assure you we have eaten! 

This is the second in the international series presented by the Moose's Lodge.  This dish, from Kenya, is very simple, and very good.  If you are not a fan of curry, do not let its use in this recipe scare you away, it is not overpowering at all and adds great flavor.

Ingredients: Kuku Paka

1 or 2 chicken breasts cut into bite size cubes.

1 onion chopped

1 jalapeno chopped (substitute any pepper of choice for desired heat)

2 T ginger peeled and chopped

2 T garlic chopped

2 T vegetable oil

1 T curry powder

2 tsp cumin seed (substitute 1 tsp cumin powder)

2 C chopped tomatoes

1 (15oz) can of coconut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped cilantro (garnish)

2 C cooked rice

Ingredients: Chapatti Flat Bread (Makes about 6)

1 C whole wheat flour

1 T olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 C warm water

1/4 tsp salt

 Directions

Make the Chapatti dough first, then the KuKu Paka.  While the KuKu Paka finishes, complete the flatbreads.

1. Mix flour and oil well.

2. Stir salt into water before adding water slowly to flour/oil until a soft ball is made.

3. Knead 8-10 minutes or until smooth and let sit for 30 minutes.

4. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat.

5. Puree onion, peppers, ginger, and garlic in food processor until smooth.

6. Saute puree mixture with curry and cumin for 5-8 minutes.

7. Stir in chopped tomatoes and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

8. Add chicken cubes, coconut milk, and salt & pepper.

9. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked and sauce has thickened. (Usually about 40 minutes)

10. While KuKu Paka is cooking make the flatbreads.

11. Roll dough into long log & cut into 6 sections, roll into balls.

12. Roll out into thin 6 inch rounds.

13. Place individual rounds in medium ungreased fry pan and push down with spoon until slightly blackened.  14. Flip and repeat until all rounds have been cooked.

15. Return to KuKu Paka and stir in cilantro, taste for additional salt and pepper.

16. Serve KuKu Paka over hot rice with flatbreads on side for scooping.

Ufurahie chakula chako! (Bon Appetit in Swahili)

~ The Moose's Lodge