Holy Zucchini!!!

Sorry, I couldn't decide on a picture so I put them all on! How's that for giant zucchini? I tried to weigh the big one on my scale but it only goes up to 5lbs 4oz...I honestly did not know how much zucchini you could get from only 4 plants. Amazing! So, Dan was asking for bread of course (heaven forbid you just eat it the plain healthy way!) so I started hunting for a whole wheat healthier version and I found a great one that I modified. It's below, with pics! Anyway, if you have zucchini coming out of your ears like I do, or really like zucchini bread and want some all year, you can shred and freeze it. I slice it lengthwise so it will fit in my food processor and shred it that way. Then put it all in a strainer over a bowl and let it drain, pushing down occasionally, until it stops dripping. Use the liquid on your plants, I did and it seems to have worked wonders. Then put the amount your recipe calls for into a freezer bag, squeeze out all of the air, and freeze (don't forget to buy quality freezer bags so you can wash and reuse them!) Everything I found online about freezing this way said to use the liquid that is left in the bag but I didn't. I put the shreds in first and my batter looked really great and did not need the extra liquid. If you use a different recipe see what works for you. By the way, those two giant zucchini yielded 17 1/2 cups shredded!

Here's my zucchini bread recipe. I was inspired by this recipe and of course I had to make changes...I can't leave anything alone!

Mix 3 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1/4cup + 2 Tablespoons oil (I used smart balance), 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup!), 1/4 cup honey, & 2 Tablespoons lemon juice.

In a separate bowl mix 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Gently combine with wet ingredients.

Fold in 3 cups packed, shredded zucchini.

Pour into two greased bread pans. I like the smaller glass ones. I think they are 4? by 8? something. 325 for about 50 minutes. YUM!

Eat Your Peas!!! Recipe: Chicken & Snow Peas

My mom let me plant in her garden this year. As you can see from the above pictures, Mackenzie was very involved in her first garden. We put in carrots, snow and shelling peas, green and yellow bush beans, broccoli, butternut squash, zucchini, green onions, and bell peppers! Look at it now!

We planted towards the end of May and now the snow peas are ready! So what did I do with them? A lot of them were eaten while they were being picked! Last night for dinner I took some of them and just sauteed them with sun dried tomato & basil olive oil as a side to chicken. And, I made this the other night:

I used to get this all the time at a Chinese restaurant that has been closed for awhile. Mine was a little different than theirs but it was really good. I only had the chicken and the peas on hand but next time I want to add some other things. Water chestnuts or cashews would be good additions. Anyway, here's what I did. As with any recipe please read through the whole thing before starting. I also like to cut and mix whatever I can before I start cooking, especially with a stir fry when everything is cooking so fast.

• In a hot wok or other large pan with 1-2 tablespoons oil cook 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces. You could also use thighs or whatever. Remove from pan and set aside, try to leave any remaining liquid and oil in the pan.
• Add 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon ginger (I used the kind in the tube but you can just grate or chop fresh), and 2-3 cups fresh snow peas to the wok. Saute for a minute or two, just until peas are bright green and everything smells nice.
• For the sauce, mix up 1.5 cups chicken stock or broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Add the chicken back to the pan and pour sauce over. Simmer until sauce is thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve over rice or noodles. I did steamed brown rice.

Random Recipe: Chicken & Dumplings

I made this last Monday on a blustery spring day. It's so tasty and easy! I really love chicken pot pie, but it always takes too long and makes a mess. This is close enough for me to be happy and it only takes 1 cutting board, 1 knife, 1 bowl, some spoons, and 1 pot! What I also love about this is that you don't have to prep everything. While the butter is melting you can chop, while you are bringing everything to a boil you can cut your chicken, while the chicken is cooking you can make your dumplings, and while your dumplings are cooking you can cleanup! It makes just enough for the three of us for dinner so you might want to double it if you have a bigger family. I haven't tried doubling it so if it doesn't work it's not my fault! Please read the whole recipe before beginning.

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven
• Coarsely chop 1 medium onion & 5 carrots. Place in pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon dried OR 1 teaspoon fresh thyme. Cook until onion is translucent
• Whisk in 1/4 cup all purpose flour for a minute (this allows the flour to cook a little)
• Whisk in 1 3/4 cups chicken stock/broth and bring to a boil
• Add about 3 chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite size pieces, cover and reduce to simmer
• In a small bowl stir together 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder, & 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Add 1/2 cup milk and stir only until incorporated, it will be very sticky!
• When chicken is cooked stir in about 1 cup frozen vegetables (I used corn and green beans). If you want to use fresh you would probably want to add them with the chicken.
• Drop dumpling mixture on top of chicken mixture using two spoons (scoop it onto one spoon and use the other to push it off). I wanted small dumplings so I used tiny kid's spoons (the tiny ones in the IKEA set). Just make a nice topping leaving space in between because they will puff up. I only ended up using half of the dumpling mixture so I put the other half onto wax paper on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they were hard and then into a freezer bag. I'm hoping that next time I can just plop them in frozen and have one less step!
  

Chicken Stock

Making chicken stock is easy!!! Making it yourself is a great way to save money and also use something that would otherwise be garbage. It doesn't take a lot of time either. Just throw everything in a pot, cover with water, let it simmer, and strain it. After I make a whole chicken I take any chicken off that we didn't eat, shred it, and freeze it until I get enough to use it in something like creamy chicken wild rice or chicken pot pie. Then I freeze the remaining carcass until I have enough to make stock. I usually use 3 or 6 cups of stock/broth when I make my creamy chicken sauce so I froze it in 3 cup amounts in glass quart jars, but you can freeze it the amounts you normally use. I have heard too of freezing it in ice cube trays and throwing them in a bag. This recipe is from my Prime Time Emeril cookbook.

-4 pounds chicken parts (wings, backs, carcasses, and necks)
-2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions
-1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
-1 cup coarsely chopped celery
-3 garlic cloves, smashed with side of a heavy knife
-4 bay leaves (I never have bay leaves so didn't use them)
-1 tsp whole black peppercorns (also never have these so just used some regular table pepper)
-2 tsp salt
-1 tsp dried thyme
-1/2 tsp dried rosemary (also didn't have)
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1. Put all the ingredients in stock pot. Add enough cold water to cover the bones by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 2-3 hours, occasionally skimming off the foam that forms on the surface.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to three days, or freeze up to two months.