Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This was my favorite homemade chocolate cake I have made. It was so moist and fluffy and best of all--easy! I cooked mine in a bundt cake. It was done a couple minutes earlier than stated. http://www.melskitchencafe.com/best-chocolate-zucchini-cake/

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

We, Thalmans, really liked these and it makes so many I was able to run them around to all the new neighbors. Next time, for us, I will substitute some wheat flour and use applesauce instead of butter.  

http://www.foodiecrush.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are just like the variety I see pop up every fall at my local Harmon's grocery store. They're soft, pillowy and filled with chocolate chips.

Serves: makes 60 cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (29-ounce) can pure pumpkin
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 6 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, pumpkin, melted butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the eggs and beat for 1-2 minutes.
3. Whisk the pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt in a small bowl and add to the wet ingredients. Mix well. Mix in 2 cups of the flour, then 2 more cups and then the final cup. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until incorporated.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Drop 1 tablespoon rounded scoops of the cookie dough on the sheet about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes. Let rest on cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

slightly adapted from Chaney's Charming Kitchen

Smoothie Recipes Beth Made Up for a Quick Healthyish Treat or a Dinner Side.

These are smoothie recipes I made up and wanted to save to make again.  

Strawberry Smoothie
12-13 frozen strawberries
1 C. milk
1 C. greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana

Citrus Smoothie
2 T. orange juice
1/2 C. frozen mango
1 C. frozen peaches
1 C. frozen strawberries
1/2 C. greek yogurt
1 banana
1 C. water

Jamba Juice like smoothie
1/2 Can of frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 C. frozen strawberries
1/C of pineapple
1 C. milk
1 C. water
1 peach activia yogurt package

Yummy Smoothie
1 banana
1 C. strawberries
1 or 2 (can't remember) peach yogurt packages
1 c. water

Our favorite peach smoothie
2 packages of blueberry activia yogurt  (also tried strawberry and it was good too)
1 or 2 cups of frozen peaches
1 banana
1 cup water
I think I may have added a large spoonful or orange juice concentrate but I am not sure.

Puffy Oven Pancake from Risa

I usually make my recipe from Betty Crocker book but when Risa came to visit she made a version that was much better than mine. This is it:

let 1/2 stick of butter melt in oven  in 9x13 pan while preheating to 400 degrees.
6 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. milk

Mix three ingredients with beaters or in blendtec.
add 1 tsp. salt and three dashes or about 1/2 T. ? of vanilla.
cook for 22 min. 

Cottage Cheese Side Salad

I made up my own recipe using our veggies and it was so good! Combine the ingredients and enjoy. Don't know measurements. Sorry!

Cottage Cheese
Chopped Tomatoes
Diced Green Pepper
Chopped Chives
Black pepper sprinkled on top

Lemon Crinkle Cookies with Lemon Glaze

I thought it would be fun to try a new cookie recipe for Jack's blessing. Lemon cookies sounded good but I couldn't find a recipe that had a good cookie mix and a good icing to go with it so I combined a cookie recipe from Melskitchencafe with a Martha Stewart Icing recipe to drizzle over the top.  It worked out great!  I can't remember for sure now but I think that I only doubled the cookie recipe and used one batch of icing to drizzle over all of them. There are the links to the sites where I got the recipes. I couldn't copy the directions for the cookies from Mels for some reason so you will have to click on the link and go directly there.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/lemon-crinkles/
http://www.marthastewart.com/312567/lemon-glaze

Lemon Crinkles

1. YIELD: MAKES 2-3 DOZEN COOKIES
   Note: the recipe calls for a teaspoon of lemon zest. I didn't really measure, I just grated the zest from the lemon I was using and threw it in there. My guess is it was more like 2 teaspoons.
   INGREDIENTS
   • 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
   • 1 cup granulated sugar
   • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
   • 1 large egg
   • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
   • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1/2 lemon
   • 1/4 teaspoon salt
   • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
   • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
   • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
   • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
   Go to MelsKitchenCafe for directions

Lemon Glaze Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice until smooth.

Green Enchilada Sauce

http://ourbestbites.com/2010/03/green-enchilada-sauce/


We grew Tomatillos this year in our garden JUST so that I could make more of this!!! LOVE IT