Cheddar Zucchini Cornbread

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Cornbread with Cheese and Fresh Zucchini and it prompted to me bake my mother's recipe for buttermilk cornbread (the best I've ever had!!) and add these two things to make it extra special. It was delicious and the kids even liked it. (Hidden Veggies--YES!)

It would be the perfect addition to a meal of veggies, or a chili, a soup or really anything! It would also be a great potluck item, as it makes a ton!!! I bake it in a 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet, but you easily make 2-8inch cornbreads and still have plenty. Or muffins! It would make great corn muffins. Just bake it a little less and check it sooner. 

Cheddar Zucchini Cornbread

Preheat oven to 375' and place cast iron frying pan with 2 tbs. of vegetable oil to heat while the oven heats. 

Combine: 

8 oz. shredded zucchini, drained and slightly pressed of excess water

3 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 sour cream and 1/4 cup of water if you don't have buttermilk)

3 tbs. sugar

1 cup of Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Combine together in a separate bowl and then add to other ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour

1 1/2 cups of Self Rising Cornmeal

Mix well and pour carefully into the hot skillet. Bake at 375' until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick. 

Recipe: by Cynthia M. Stuckey, modified from Linda Blythe (My Mama!)

Italian Herb Bread (No special equipment needed!)

I recently rediscovered this recipe for Italian Herb Bread in one of my Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks. (Homemade Harvest, Gooseberry Patch)

It is a wonderfully quick and easy recipe, it uses all pantry ingredients and it makes two loaves. Also, you do not need a mixer or a bread maker to prepare this bread--just a bowl, a spoon and and oven (plus 2 loaf pans!) Have I sold you yet?

Try this out next time you are making Italian for dinner! It also makes a great accompaniment to Beef Stew, Vegetable or Tomato Soup or a Big Salad!

Italian Herb Bread makes 2 loaves
1 envelope Active Dry Yeast (Not instant)
1 3/4 Cup Warm Water (110-115 degrees)
4 Cups All Purpose Flour
3 Tbs. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp. EACH of Dried Oregano, Dried Basil and Dried Parsley
Garnish: 2-3 tbs. Melted Butter

Directions:
Add yeast to warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve and wait 5 minutes. Blend in all remaining ingredients, (except butter) and stir until smooth. Cover with a thin towel and set aide to rise or double in bulk, (about an hour and a half.) Punch Down and turn dough out into lightly floured counter or board. Knead until smooth and large bubbles have disappeared. (Don't fret too much about this step. Just fold your bread over and press down and then fold it over the other way, trying to get out large bubbles of air. It will still be airy and fluffy, this is a good thing.)
Divide Dough into 2 loaves and place in 2 lightly greased 9x5 loaf pans. Cover and Let rise again with Towel until double (about another hour)
Bake at 350' for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans and brushed tops with melted butter. Allow to cool slightly before slicing your husband a piece so he can see how awesome you are.. don't tell him how easy it was.

** I do both my rises in the microwave, (off of course.) it guards against drafts and doesn't take up room on my counter!

Happy Baking!

Warm up with Cranberry Orange Scones

I know it's January and we are all supposed to be behaving ourselves, nutritionally speaking-- but it's also COLD outside and in the midst of all the yogurt and salads we are enjoying with a new love lately, here is a scone recipe I came up with over Christmas-- it would be great for any chilly morning or afternoon with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. If they seem a bit complicated, know that they come together very quickly.


Cranberry-Orange Scones
Makes 8 large or 16 small scones


2 cups of Flour
1/4 cup of sugar (I used raw, but regular is fine too)
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt 
Grated Zest of one Medium Orange

Pulse the above ingredients in your Food Processor several times to sift and combine.

Add 5-6 Tbs. of Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces and pulse again.
Add 2/3 cup of sweetened, dried cranberries and pulse again 2-3 times to incorporate.

In a small glass measuring cup, add one egg to 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream and whisk with a fork. (Now here's where I feel the need to explain-- I have ALWAYS made these with Half and Half instead of Heavy Cream even though the original recipe calls for cream. Always. Then, over Christmas, I found myself with cream and without half & half. So I bit the bullet, and can I just say--- WOW. It made a HUGE difference in the texture, and the fact that these scones lasted for days without drying out. However, I will say that the half & half is fine and makes a nice (though not quite as flaky) scone. So do whatever you wish. :)

Add liquid/ egg mixture all at once and pulse a few times to ensure it comes together. Your scone dough will be kind of crumbly but moist.

Dump out the dough directly onto a lightly floured surface or wax paper and pat it into a circle (divide into 2 circles if you wish to make small scones.) Form into a circle as best you can and then use a sharp knife to cut into 8 wedges. Move wedges to a Parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425' for 12-15 minutes until just beginning to lightly brown.

Before Baking-- they are a bit flat

 

 They plump up nicely in the oven

Remove scones to a wire rack to cool for about 7 minutes and prepare glaze. These are perfectly yummy before the orange glaze, but it does add a whole other level of deliciousness! 

Orange Glaze

1 cup of Powdered sugar

1-2 tbs. of fresh orange juice (from the orange you zested. If your child ate the orange while you were making your scones, plain ole' OJ is fine too.) 

Mix the two together in a bowl until you get a nice thick-ish consistency. 

 Glaze consistency

Set your wire rack of scones right back on the pan you baked them on (so the parchment catches your excess glaze) and drizzle glaze over them. They will set up a bit in just a few minutes and be ready to eat! 

The finished product

A New Favorite: Low Fat Banana Bread

I am always anxious to try a new banana bread recipe and this one is a good one. The technique is a bit different as you roast the bananas (still in the peel) in the oven first and then let them cool. This brings out so much more flavor and sweetness that you can dramatically reduce the sugar and oil or butter needed. DRAMATICALLY. If you follow the recipe, you will get a yummy loaf of traditional banana bread without the high calorie content. Enjoy!

Low-Fat Banana Bread
Makes one 9x5 loaf

4 Large Ripe Bananas
2 Large Eggs
2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 cups of All purpose flour
1/2 cup of sugar (as opposed to the usual cup or cup and a half!!)
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs. vegetable oil (as opposed to the usual stick of butter!) 
2 ounces of low fat cream cheese (cut into 4 pieces and chilled)

Roast Bananas on a rimmed baking sheet at 325' for 20 minutes until the skins are completely black. Remove and set aside to cool. Leave oven on.
After bananas are completely cooled, peel and mash them. Measure 1 1/2 cups. Discard any excess or save for future use. (Mine had quite a bit of liquid but it turned out great!)

Whisk Eggs and Vanilla in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer on med. low, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt together until combined. Add oil and cream cheese slowly, one piece at a time. Mix until the cream cheese incorporates and resembles small pea-sized bits. Slowly add egg mixture while mixing and then add bananas and beat 30 seconds.

Scrape batter into a greased loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes until golden brown. Cool for ten minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Store in the Fridge for a few days.
The recipe advised us to wait an hour and let it cool. We did not. :)

**Adapted from Cook's Country Magazine

Healthier Oatmeal Banana Bread

Makes 2 Loaves

3/4 cup of Unsweetened Applesauce

3/4 cup of Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

2 2/3 Cup of AP Flour (I mix about 60-40 Regular to Whole Wheat)

1 1/3 cup of Regular Rolled Oats

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 cup of Low-Fat Buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

4 Large ripe bananas, mashed.

Heat oven to 325' and grease and flour 2 loaf pans. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together applesauce, sugar and eggs. Beat well. Sift together flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and oatmeal to applesauce mixture. Add vanilla and bananas. Sometimes, when I want to make it a little less healthy, I add about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Bake in loaf pans for 60-75 minutes.  Cool.

**This recipe has been adapted from a friend of a friend.