Tasty Tuesday – Zucchini Bread

Happy Tasty Tuesday!  Now those who know me know that I cannot let a summer pass without making zucchini bread.  And even though I try out new recipes, I always make batches upon batches of my favorite recipe from my momma.  But for this week’s recipe, I chose a Zucchini Bread recipe similar to my favorite and gave it a try.  The ingredients are similar to mine, but some of the quantities are different.

My Amish “sister” gave me six zucchini when we were up there visiting the weekend before last on our camping trip.  She also gave us a bag of string beans that she and my hubby picked, and I cooked them with ham and potatoes.  They sure were delicious.  But back to the zucchini – I decided on Saturday that I’d shred them and get my bake on.  I made a total of 26 loaves of bread – four from this week’s recipe and the rest of my momma’s recipe.  I also made a cake which will be posted next week.  I still have more shredded zucchini to use, so I’ll bake more bread, a batch of muffins, and maybe some bars.  You are probably wondering what I do with all the bread I bake – I give it to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and my mailman & UPS guy at work.  We kept one loaf for ourselves, and the rest were given out.  The bread I’ll bake tonight also already has dibs on it too.

This week’s recipe comes from the cookbook – “From the Mother’s Cupboard – Hammer Creek Mennonite Church” that I picked up at the Re-Uzit Shop in New Holland, PA for just a buck.  It has some different recipes in it from my other Amish/Mennonite cookbooks, and the price was right.

Zucchini Bread or Cake II, Mary Nolt, page 27, “From the Mother’s Cupboard – Hammer Creek Mennonite Church”

3 c. sugar

3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

4 eggs, beaten

1 c. oil

1 c crushed pineapple, drained

3 c. zucchini, grated

1 c. nuts, optional

In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add beaten eggs and oil.  Beat.  Add pineapple, zucchini, and nuts.  Stir well.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes in a greased 9×13″ pan or two loaf pans.

This tasted really good and was quite close to my other recipe.  It was moist too – that’s why I like the recipes that call for the pineapple.  I didn’t add the nuts, since I was giving this away.  I did add chocolate chips to some of the other batches I did, and that hint of chocolate is always yummy.

So if you have an abundance of zucchini in your garden or you are blessed like we were and have a good friend that shares some with you, give this recipe a try.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Have a great week and stay cool.  It’s going to be brutally hot and humid here the rest of the week.

Blessings…

Advertisements

Tasty Tuesday – Hot Diggity Dogs

Welcome to the first Tasty Tuesday of July.  I just can’t believe the 4th of July is already behind us, and we are starting the second half of 2019.  This week’s recipe for Hot Diggity Dogs comes from the “Lanc. Co. Amish Cookbook”.  This cookbook has over 1,000 recipes, so there are a lot of new things to try in it.  This recipe is for what we call Pigs in a Blanket at our house.  Can’t remember the last time I fixed these, so when I saw this recipe, I figured they’d be something different, and I know hubby enjoys them.

Hot Diggity Dogs, Mrs. Priscilla Fisher, page 48, “Lanc. Co. Amish Cookbook”

1 pkg. hot dogs

1/2 lb. sharp cheese

1 can crescent dinner rolls dough

Slit hot dogs within 1/2 inch of ends.  Insert strips of cheese in hot dog.  Place hot dog on crescent dough and roll up.  Bake 375 degrees 12-15 minutes.

Love all that cheesy goodness oozing out.  These were good as usual, and we didn’t need much to accompany them.  It was a warm day, so the cold sides worked well.  Baked beans would have been good as a side, but we had just had them recently, so I didn’t want to fix them again so soon.

Have you ever had Hot Diggity Dogs or Pigs in a Blanket?  So easy to fix and using my Pampered Chef stone made clean up a breeze too.

Have a great day and stay cool.

Blessings…

Review of “The Brides of the Big Valley”

Looking for a good summer read?  I recently finished reading “The Brides of the Big Valley” – three short stories written by Wanda Brunstetter, her daughter-in-law, Jean, and her granddaughter, Richelle.  The Big Valley is located in the mountains of central Pennsylvania and is on my bucket list to visit, so I can see the difference in the Amish districts there along with their different colored buggies.

Here’s the excerpt from the back of the book:

In an area of Pennsylvania called The Big Valley, a uniquely blended Amish community thrives in which 3 distinct groups of Amish identify themselves by the colors of their buggy’s top—white, black, or yellow. Join New York Times Bestselling Author Wanda E. Brunstetter, her daughter-in-law, and granddaughter in experiencing the stories of three young women who search for faith and love within this special place. Deanna is a widow who sees her second chance of love slipping away. Rose Mary is at a point in life where she must choose the path of her faith and the right man to walk with her on it. Leila is burdened with family responsibilities and wonders when she will ever start a family of her own.

Deanna’s Determination by Wanda E. Brunstetter:

Deanna Speicher belongs to the very plain, white-top buggy community, known as the Nebraska Amish.  Deanna’s husband died, leaving her and her six-year-old son.  Could a love once buried resurface to bring joy to mother and child, or will time and tragedy get in the way?

Rose Mary’s Resolve by Jean Brunstetter:

Rose Mary Renno belongs to the conservative black top community and is being courted by Tom Yoder, who wants to leave the Amish faith.  Rose Mary can’t imagine leaving the life she knows – but then she meets an English pilot who befriends her.  Suddenly she is faced with choosing the path of her faith or her heart.

Leila’s Longing by Richelle Brunstetter:

Leila Fisher is a young Amish woman from the yellow top buggy community who is burdened with family responsibilities and wondering when she will ever start a family of her own.  But when she meets someone from the black top community, could she ever consider crossing the invisible line drawn between faiths to find love?

My review:

The Brides of the Big Valley contains three short stories written by Wanda Brunstetter, her daughter-in-law, Jean, and her granddaughter, Richelle.  All three stories are written in the Big Valley area of Pennsylvania where there are three different districts of Amish – each having a different color for their buggy – yellow, white, and black.  Each story focuses on a woman from one of these groups and how her life is altered by certain circumstances that happen among her family, friends, and herself.  Will faith and love conquer in each story?  I really enjoyed reading each story and learning more about the Amish districts in The Big Valley.  Each story has its own plot and characters and flows along well.  My favorite story out of the three is “Leila’s Longing” by Richelle Brunstetter, because it is centered in an Amish owned rubber stamp store and Leila loves making cards.  I enjoy shopping at the Amish owned stamp stores in Lancaster County and making cards, so this story was especially fun to read.  I also enjoyed the recipes at the end of each story too.

This book is a great read and all three stories are well written.  If you want to visit a different type of Amish community, check out The Brides of the Big Valley.

Blessings…

 

 

 

Tasty Tuesday – Crisp Oven Fried Chicken

Happy last Tasty Tuesday in June!  I cannot believe that half the year is over.  I think time flies by the older I get.  This week’s recipe is for Crisp Oven Fried Chicken taken out of the “Lanc. Co. Amish Cookbook”.  It’s very flavorful with all of the spices.

Crisp Oven Fried Chicken, Mrs. Naomi Esh, page 109, “Lanc. Co. Amish Cookbook”

1 cup saltine crackers

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 T. minced fresh parsley

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. oregano

1/2 t. basil

1/2 t. celery salt

1/2 t. onion salt

1/4 t. paprika

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 bay leaf

2 (3 lb.) broiler fryers cut up

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup cooked oil

Combine crackers, cheese, and seasonings in bowl.  Dip chicken in milk and coat with mixture.  Place chicken in shallow roasting pan, skin side up.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Brush with oil.  Bake 30 minutes or more until golden brown and tender.  Serves 8.

I had boneless pork chops thawed, so I used them instead of chicken.  They had a nice flavor with all of the seasonings used.  I baked some as the recipe stated and the other pan I baked for the first 30 minutes, and then instead of oil, I brushed barbecue sauce on the top of them and sprinkled cheddar cheese on top.  Both ways were quite good.

And since there were so many chops, we enjoyed these a few times for dinner.  It was nice to have them in the frig ready to heat up after a long day at work.

Enjoy your last week of June.

Blessings…

 

Tasty Tuesday – Strawberry Pie

Happy Tasty Tuesday!  I have a real tasty recipe for you this week.  This is one of my dad’s favorite pies, so I whipped one up for our dessert on Father’s Day.  Strawberry pie is one of my favorites too and is pretty easy to put together.  This week’s recipe comes from the “Sharing Our Best – A Collection of Recipes from Ridgeview Mennonite Church” cookbook.

Strawberry Pie, June Horst, page 90, “Sharing Our Best – A Collection of Recipes from Ridgeview Mennonite Church”

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. water

2 T. strawberry jello

1 qt. strawberries

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and water.  Cook until thick and clear.  Add gelatin.  Pour over 1 quart strawberries in a baked shell.

I used sugar free jello, since this pie is sweet enough from the strawberries and sugar.  You couldn’t tell the difference using the sugar free over the regular either.  Couple tips – just keep stirring the gelatin mixture until everything is dissolved, pour it over the strawberries immediately, and refrigerator for several hours.

And of course you have to top your slice of pie with whipped cream – in our house, it’s the law.  Ha!

Have a great day…can you believe the first day of summer is just around the corner?

Blessings…

Tasty Tuesday – Brownies

Happy Tasty Tuesday!  This week’s recipe is all about brownies – actually unicorn brownie bites!  We had a stamping shoebox swap on Saturday, and the theme was loosely based around the Belmont Stakes and “Be a unicorn in a field of horses”.  I was going to make a coffee cake, but since we had three other versions of cake coming, I opted for brownies.   And then jazzed them up with sanding sugars and sprinkles to give them the rainbow unicorn look.

This week’s recipe comes from the “Lanc. Co. Amish Cookbook”.  This cookbook is full of all sorts of recipes, and I’ve used it a few times in the past couple weeks.  I love the fact that it is spiral bound – easier to keep open to the recipe I’m using.  Most of the touristy places in Lancaster County have this cookbook for sale.

Brownies, Mrs. Rebecca Blank, page 246, “Lanc. Co. Amish Cookbook”

1 cup cocoa

2 T. shortening

1/2 lb. butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter together.  Beat eggs and sugar, add flour and baking powder.  Mix well, then add chocolate mixture.  Add vanilla.  Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I added the shortening in with the chocolate and butter since the recipe didn’t say what to do with that.  You’d most likely bake these in a 9×13-inch dish if baking as regular brownies.  Since I did brownie bites, the baking time was about 15-20 minutes – I just watched them every few minutes to make sure they didn’t burn.

They were really good and moist.  And you definitely got a sugar rush eating one with all the added bling on them to give them the unicorn sparkle as well as the buttercream icing and Hershey’s Hugs.

Hope you have a great week.  And as you go through your week, remember to be that “unicorn in a field of horses”.

Blessings…

 

Tasty Tuesday – Homemade Round-Up Recipe & Winner of Two Cookbooks

Happy Tasty Tuesday!  I cannot believe it is June already.  Where has the first half of the year gone?

Since hubby has been complaining about the weeds around the house, I decided to try and find a recipe for something natural instead of the poisonous ingredients used in the weed killers at the hardware stores.  The store bought kinds can be dangerous to children and pets, so I wanted something safer to use in our yard.  Alas, I found this recipe out of the “Harmony Hollow Recipes” cookbook for those stubborn weeds.

Homemade Round-Up, Martha Sue Stoltzfus, page 211, “Harmony Hollow Recipes”

4 c. vinegar

1/4 c. table salt

2 tsp. liquid dish soap

Combine ingredients and spray on weeds.  Kills weeds and grass.

This is easy enough to mix up, and we have all the ingredients on hand.  I’ll have to let you know the outcome if he does make up a batch to try.  I can just see it now with using the liquid dish soap, our yard will be covered in bubbles after a good rain.  Ha!

Now for the winner of the two cookbooks I shared two weeks ago.

Random number generator picked #9, and that person is:

Kelli Broughton

Congratulations Kelli!  Please send me either a message via my blog or through private message on Facebook with your mailing address, and I will get the cookbooks mailed out to you.

Hope you all have a good first week of June.

Blessings…