Zucchini Brownies

Yummy note: Oh, how I miss you, zucchini... I didn't really get a chance to have a real garden this year, so no home grown zucchini here. :(  Last year, I had a bunch and of course, my friends at the Secret Recipe Club helped out in giving me lots of great ideas using that up last year and coincidentally enough, this month I found yet another great way to use up some zucchini that I had from the farmer's market!  So kudos to the SRC bloggers and their creativity. In all the recipes, I've tried with zucchini I don't recall ever making brownies with them. I've baked breads and cakes with it, and even made salsa and fried zucchini, but no brownies. Well, that must be fixed instantly, after I saw this recipe from Ashley at Rainstorms and Love Notes. I am pretty sure I've seen recipes like it before floating around, but I just never tried it. I knew from previous baking with zucchini sometimes my kids can be a bit picky and I need some tricks to get past the green stuff. So the chocolate here was my ammo. I also ended up pulsing the brownie mix just slightly in the food processor to incorporate the zucchini strands better, as I wanted the kids to like the brownies without finding "something stringy is in my food, mom!!" and then it would be a no-go. This recipe was kid-tested and approved and they thoroughly enjoyed these zucchini brownies and kept asking for more. It was a 2 thumbs up dessert all around. Thanks Ashley for this great treat! Don't forget to stop by Ashley's blog and learn more about her here. (btw, love this intro page!) If you are looking for other great treats, check these out... these are on my short list to try-- cookie dough bites, cinnamon doughnuts, and these amazing looking caramel shortbread bars.

Zucchini Brownies 

Source: http://rainstormsandlovenotes.com/2013/10/zucchini-brownies.html 

Ingredients: 
1 large zucchini (roughly 2 cups shredded zucchini)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely grate zucchini, you should try and have approximately 2 cups for the recipe. Next, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the zucchini into brownie batter. Yummy note: If your kids are like mine and they don't like to see zucchini strands perhaps pulse the zucchini a little in a food processor to incorporate it better into the batter.  Pour brownie batter into a prepared 9x13 pan. For best results, line your pan with aluminum foil and then spray with cooking spray. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done.

Ingredients all ready to mix together.

1st attempt at zucchini going in... then the kid factor.. "mom, that looks kinds yucky.." Ok, time to switch things up. Sneaky mom takes a bunch of zucchini out and pulses it in food processor to achieve a more smooth consistency and then blends it right into the brownie batter. 

Added a handful of chocolate chips just to make sure we are good. 

Ready to bake!

Warm chocolate, almost cake-like brownies ready to be eaten! 

Yummy note: If you want to make it extra decadent try topping the brownies with this frosting! 

Easy Chocolate Frosting 

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup butter, melted
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk or coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 2-3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Mix butter and cocoa together until combined. Then add in milk (or coffee) and vanilla and beat until smooth. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar until desired consistency for frosting is achieved.

Chocolate-loving kid tested and approved zucchini brownies! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Blonde Brownies

Yummy note:  Last month, my mother-in-law and I were discussing how delicious those blonde brownies from Applebee's are, and how you just can't eat one by yourself. Seriously, there is a lot of warm gooey sweet goodness going on with that dessert. So instead of heading out to the restaurant with the kids and all to get a treat, I figured let's bake something similar to these blonde brownies for Grandma and Grandpa instead. Then we an portion control ourselves and have like little blonde brownies treats all week long! ;) 

Blonde Brownies 

Original here: adapted from http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=50419

Ingredients:
1 cup sifted flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/8 teaspoon baking soda 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar 
1 egg, beaten 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (I also have used dark chocolate) 

Directions:
Melt butter and add brown sugar, and stir until well mixed. Add in egg and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Combine butter mixture with flour mixture, stirring well. Stir in nuts and desired chocolate chips. Pour into a 9-inch square pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

chicken enchilada dip

Yummy note: Over here at It's Yummy to My Tummy, it has been a whirlwind of the last few months here, and blogging has been set on my back burner. Long story, short, my family has finally relocated back closer to both of our families. We made the big move out of state, sold our townhouse, and bought a single family home in just a few short months. Phew, now if any of you all can tell me when it begins to get easier with transitions and "normalcy" again, I'm all ears... Taking a little bit of time off from blogging was needed to focus on our family and take care of things on the home front. After being in our new house now for just a few weeks, it is fun to kick off my mini-vacation from blogging and get back to our Secret Recipe Club. This is the first time in over 4 years I've taken a longer break in my blogging here at It's Yummy to My Tummy, so I thank you all for being patient and letting me run idle for a bit while I get back into the blogging routine again. 

This month for our SRC group, I was assigned Happy Go Lucky. What a fun name for a blog, and sounds like a good theme for me to go along with for my next chapter of life here. I need to be more like that and less worry about things! :) So Kara at Happy Go Lucky has such a variety of blog posts that appeals to many audiences- from her creative artsy tutorials to her crafty items to her awesome recipes. Some of the DIY projects on the blog fit right in with my new house projects, and seriously, I can't wait to try out a few! This month, I was all about the least amount of mess and kitchen involvement for this SRC pick. So I was keeping an eye open for a crockpot recipe. I figured since it was the move weekend, a few dishes that could be easily done in the crockpot was a done deal; plus something hot and ready in the kitchen for the hungry guys would be a good thing, too! Kara had this one post that had about 20 different ones that hit the mark, oh, the possibilities... I finally settled on the Chicken Enchilada Dip. What a crowd pleasing recipe, it was a hit, when we ran out of chips, we were seriously using whatever we could to eat up the delicious dip. Tortilla chips, Pringles, or maybe just a spoon, whatever the method is, it is a great appetizer that you can practically turn into a meal, as it is that satisfying. 

Chicken Enchilada Dip

http://www.happygoluckyblog.com/2014/12/crock-pot-chicken-enchilada-dip.html

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce

1 can (7 oz) chopped green chiles

2 cups Mexican Blend shredded cheese

Optional add-ins: 
1 can of black beans
1 can of Southwestern corn (corn with red and green peppers)
additional shredded cheese or jar of queso salsa

Directions: 
Shred the cooked chicken. Then add all of your ingredients to slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours. If in a hurry, this can be made in the microwave by melting everything together until creamy and the cheese is melted thoroughly. Then you can keep the dip in a crockpot on low or warm while serving dip.

Yummy note- I took Kara's advice and added a can of beans and tossed in a can of corn with peppers in it as well. I noticed the dip was getting rather thick and needed a bit more "goo," so I all I had on hand was a jar of queso salsa and it was just the right add-in of flavor and creaminess. So if you opt for the additional ingredients, you might need to adjust your cheese ratio to ensure creaminess of your dip.

Just a few ingredients thrown in your Crockpot makes for a fantastic appetizer! 

Getting all mixed together and gooey! Mmm, cheesy chicken dip... 

Let's dip into action! I barely had time to capture the finished product as it was flying out of the crockpot.

Happy flavors mixed in this bowl here- a little spicy, cheesy, and meaty topped on a little crunchy chip. Practically a walking taco-enchilada!  

These tortilla flavored Pringles made the perfect little vessel for the chicken enchilada dip. Did I mention that you can just eat this for a meal? oh yes, you can... and I did just that.. The next day I had just a little amount of leftovers, that warmed up nicely, and you know there just wasn't enough to share.. or well maybe I just didn't want to share ;)
  

Also, Kara had some great drink recipes on Happy Go Lucky, that I can't wait to sip on these bellinis once I get a few more raspberries from the backyard! A nice nightcap drink perhaps in the backyard at night might be just what is needed lately with all the move craziness.

The kids helped me prune and pick up canes from our one purple raspberry patch, while the other red raspberry bush has just begun to bloom. Yeah, for backyard fruit at our new home!   

 
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An InLinkz Link-up

Bacon Hash and Broiled Eggs

Yummy note: Bacon... yes, whenever I say that word, I think everybody I know, their ears, eyes, and nose perks up... oh, not to forget the cat too. The bacon aroma just fills the house. Not sure what it is about the bacon, but it seems it has some magical power. Speaking of that, the blog I was assigned to for this Secret Recipe Club, mentioned a kitchen witch. I have never heard of this custom, but I like it, and could totally use a kitchen witch with good luck in my kitchen to help prevent any thing from burning, boiling over or spilling!! So back to the bacon, I got this amazing bacon hash and broiled eggs recipe from Rhonda at the the Kitchen Witch blog for this month's Secret Recipe Club. Thanks to my hubby for helping me scout out this hash recipe for this month, I think it is a keeper recipe on our list :) It had delicious flavor, not to mention you use bacon fat to saute potatoes in; yes, bacon fat,yes, grease, that is what gives this dish its depth of flavor. I was a bit intimidated at first, as I've never made a hash from scratch, as I usually just by frozen or pre-diced potatoes. I learned my lesson, not again, just use real potatoes, so much better and crispy.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my husband and I did! 

Bacon Hash and Broiled Eggs

original recipe http://www.thekitchenwitchblog.com/2011/09/30/bacon-hash-broiled-eggs/

Ingredients: 
1 pound bacon, diced
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
4 eggs
2 ounces grated cheese, optional
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: 
In a large oven/broiler-safe skillet, I used my cast iron skillet, as bacon turns out wonderfully crispy usually in this pan. Over medium heat, cook bacon until the fat starts to render. Once you have a nice coating of that bacon fat/grease coating your pan, add the diced potatoes and onions. Cover pan and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and onions start to caramelize, making sure to check and stir frequently so they don't stick on the bottom of the pan. Oh, that is also the next best part here, too...caramelized onions with crispy bacon..yum... Be careful though, that pan and grease is hot! Remove lid and turn heat up some and cook until all of the bacon and potatoes are crispy and browned. Salt and pepper to season. Next, if you are using the same pan, blot the pan a bit and remove excess bacon grease. Or if using smaller broiler safe dishes, use a slotted spoon to drain, and transfer the bacon hash into 4 individual dishes. Crack one egg on top each bacon hash dish and place under the broiler for approximately 3 minutes or until the whites are done. Sprinkle some cheese on top, if desired, and return to the broiler to melt.

Just a few ingredients for this homemade hash! 

Try and dice potatoes evenly. Yeah, easier said than done, haha. ;) 

Add potatoes to the partly rendered bacon and continue to saute. 

Drain some of the bacon fat if too much before broiling the egg. 

Crack an egg on top of the bacon hash and broil egg until set. 

Cut into the egg and enjoy your hash.

If you are not a broiled egg fan, you can eat the hash as it is, or serve with a side of scrambled eggs as well. 

Yummy note: So I got lost (in a good way) a few times on the Kitchen Witch blog meandering through her beautiful pictures. Someday, I want to capture images like Rhonda does. :) Rhonda has some amazing shots, not only of food on her site, but art. You should really visit her photography site and see what other things Rhonda likes to shoot, besides yummy food ;) Speaking of yummy food, if bacon hash doesn't look like your thing, she has plenty of other options! Other recipes that caught my eye from Rhonda was this brisket, -this looks simple and delicious that I might have to try making this one when I need to feed a crowd the next gathering. The other top one was this venison lo mein. I really need to try and make this at home again; the last time I tried the noodles became mush. She had a good tip that I will share, and she said to just use regular or leftover spaghetti noodles for this dish! Well, duh, why didn't I think of trying to use those, instead of those mushy sticky noodles I attempted to try before. Make sure to visit the Kitchen Witch for other great tips and tricks like this from Rhonda.

An InLinkz Link-up

Egg and cheese quesadillas

Yummy note: This idea started with my youngest kiddo always asking for food almost instantly from coming home from morning preschool. While it is still mid-morning, he gets confused on whether it is still breakfast time or lunch. I tried to tell him, it doesn't really matter what you eat as long as it is good for you. Hey, I'm all about my kids eating well and trying to get them to try something new. Which seems like an everyday battle. So, who is to say, you can't have pizza for breakfast, eggs can be for lunch, or pancakes for supper?!  it's ok, kids...(as I get a crazy look from them) there is no one telling you that you can't. So this is where lunch meets breakfast.

Egg and Cheese Quesadillas

Ingredients: 

2 eggs, beaten

4 flour tortillas

1/2 c. cheese, shredded (any kind of cheese will work)

*Use a combination of any of the ingredients below to customize your quesadilla. 

*Optional ingredients/add-ins: 

Deli ham, julienned 

Bacon

Sausage 

Diced avocado 

Spinach 

Finely diced green pepper
Finely diced onion

Mushrooms 

Black beans 

Salsa 

Sour cream 

Cilantro 


Directions: 

In a small bowl, crack the two eggs into it and whisk. If desired, add in milk or water at this point, it doesn't really matter if you do or not, either way is fine, but only add like a tablespoon if you do. In a medium sized frying pan, spray with non-stick spray or a few tablespoons of butter/oil. When the pan is hot, pour the eggs and other optional ingredients* into the pan at this point. Reserve your shredded cheese to the end. Cook on medium heat, scraping the pan occasionally, until the eggs are scrambled and just set. Season with the salt and pepper. Place the egg mixture to the side and place a tortilla in the fry pan and start to assemble the quesadilla. For a larger quesadilla (full circle) - place egg mixture back on top of the entire tortilla and top with cheese and lay the second tortilla on top of the mixture. For a smaller quesadilla (half circle) - place egg mixture on half of the tortilla and top with desired amount of cheese and fold it over to make a half circle quesadilla. Fry until golden brown, flip quesadilla halfway through the cooking time to ensure both sides are nice and crispy and the cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve. Can serve with sour cream or salsa on the side or top with cilantro. 

This dish is easily adaptable to many different combinations! You just need a few basic ingredients to start it off.

Make sure to flip your quesadilla halfway to ensure cheese has melted thoroughly and a tortilla shell has a nice golden brown.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Rhubarb Berry Muffins

Yummy note: When life gets busy, I bake. Seriously, it is almost more therapeutic than anything else. Not sure if it is the process of doing something and feeling accomplished that I finished it in a desired amount of time, or if it is just because I get to indulge in something yummy :)  With all of the end of the school year functions going on, teacher appreciation week, volunteer appreciation day, baseball starting and such, whew.. I knew I had to find something fun to bake. Hooray, cue in this month's Secret Recipe Club assignment. This month, I was assigned Cook with Sara. Sara had a bunch of comfort food recipes, but what stood out to me the most was she had an amazing selection of baked goodies..oh, this lady rocks, oh, and I should mention she is from the Midwest like myself... yep, excellent connection, perhaps that is why I liked her recipes so much ;-) Soo many decisions... I recently found some frozen rhubarb in my freezer from last season, and knew I had to use it up in the next month or so. When I had came across several different recipes using rhubarb on Sara's blog, I thought that would be fun. Plus, who doesn't love the sweet and tartness of rhubarb. I chose to make the rhubarb blueberry muffins as they could be easily packaged up and shared with others. These muffins were so flavorful and packed full of deliciousness, many compliments were given. So thank you Sara for this recipe, as it was a hit.  

Rhubarb Berry Muffins

original Rhubarb Blueberry Muffins recipe here

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-6 oz. container yogurt (blueberry or plain)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup quick oats
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
2 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen)*

*Original recipe stated to use 2 cups of blueberries, but I ran out, so I substituted 1 cup of strawberries, along with 1 cup of blueberries. 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the softened butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs and yogurt. In a different bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients, alternatively with the milk, into the batter. Then fold in the blueberries, strawberries, and the rhubarb. For best results, use paper-lined muffin cups, and fill muffin tins about 3/4 full with the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. You may also make these into mini loaves of bread and bake for about 25 minutes as well. I topped some of these breads/muffins with a simple powdered sugar frosting, using about 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tbsp water and 1/2 tsp vanilla.   

Mini Rhubarb Berry Breads 

Rhubarb, frozen or fresh, works wonderfully in this recipe. I thawed my frozen rhubarb slightly before adding it to the batter. 

I used a combination of strawberries and blueberries, but you could use any berries or fruit with the rhubarb. 

Be careful not to stir the batter too much when you add in the fruit, just fold it in gently to avoid over-mixing.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. 

Bake rhubarb berry muffins about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and set.

Mini breads topped with a simple frosting/glaze.

These little breads are packed full of yummy goodness! 

Please visit Sara over at Cook with Sara, as she has some of her favorite recipes ready to share with you. Here's a couple, I can't wait to try out later-  restaurant-style salsa and creme egg brownies.      

An InLinkz Link-up

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Yummy note: The other night the kids and I were making cookies to take to one of my daughter's class volunteer appreciation party and it hit me that I have never posted our family snickerdoodle cookie recipe. I had to dig it out of the family recipe binder, since I couldn't find the electronic copy? not cool. Ok, so I had to fix that. Snickerdoodles, according to my kids, are kinda like cinnamon toast- sugary, sweet, and a little crunchy- such a great food analogy! Hope you enjoy our family-trusted snickerdoodle cookie recipe, I wish I knew where the source came from, but I am unaware of who gave me this or where this recipe originated...All I know, it produces fantastic cookies :) 

Snickerdoodle Cookies 

Ingredients: 

1 cup shortening, softened 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

2 eggs 

2 3/4 cups flour 

2 tsp cream of tartar 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking soda 

* additional 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix shortening, sugar, and eggs together. Sift dry ingredients together and blend into the shortening mixture. Chill dough, if time allowed. I have done it both ways, where I was low on time and baked them right away without chilling and it still worked fine. Roll the dough balls the size of about walnuts or use a cookie scooper. Drop the dough balls into a cinnamon/sugar mix- using about 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. This can be modified to your liking of how much cinnamon you like. Place dough on parchment-lined cookie sheet or on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cookie starts to puff up and the edges start to set. The cookies will then flatten some as they cool with a crinkled/cracked top.