Tag: zucchini bread with chocolate chips

Hello All! I have some new ideas for you. Hopefully you will find something useful. Let’s dig right into it! We are heavy on recipes this time and a little light on crafts. I must have been more in the mood to cook and bake!

Recipes (Remember that I have actually made these recipes and can attest to their delish nature)

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole (goodforrecipes.com)

Waffle Iron Grilled Cheese

Just prepare your standard grilled cheese sandwich and toast it in the waffle iron. It was delicious!

Grinder Salad Wrap (smilesandwich.com)

I followed this recipe for grinder salad but served it in wrap.

1 head iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped banana peppers
1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1/4 lb salami, chopped
1/4 lb pepperoni, chopped
1/4 lb turkey, chopped
1/4 lb provolone cheese, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp banana pepper juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Chop the iceberg lettuce, red onion, banana peppers, grape tomatoes, salami, pepperoni, turkey, provolone cheese, and parmesan, and place them in a large mixing bowl
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, banana pepper juice, garlic powder, oregano, and salt
Add black pepper to taste and stir until smooth
Pour the dressing over the chopped salad ingredients
Toss well until everything is evenly coated
Serve immediately and enjoy

Applesauce Cinnamon Bread (thecookinchicks.com)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup applesauce (I used unsweetened but any kind works)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoon milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×5 loaf pan or 5 mini loaf pans.
• In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and milk.
• Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
• Stir until just combined.
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s) and place in oven to bake for 30 minutes if making mini loaves, or about 60 minutes if making large loaf.
• Once toothpick comes out clean once inserted in center, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving!

Easter Blondies

• ▢1/2 cup butter melted
• ▢3/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢1 large egg
• ▢1 cup flour
• ▢Pinch of salt
• ▢1 cup Easter m&m candies

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the egg until well combined.
• Add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Gently stir in 3/4s of the candy. The batter will be thick and sticky.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Press the remaining m&ms over the top.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. The center should be barely set.
• Cool before cutting.

Meat Lovers Pizza Casserole (phuiss.com)

My friend, Shelly, made this and shared it with me. It was yummy!

12 oz pasta (penne or rotini) 🍝 1 lb ground beef 🥩 1/2 lb Italian sausage, crumbled 🌭 1/2 cup pepperoni slices 🍕 1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled 🥓 2 cups marinara or pizza sauce 🍅 1 tsp Italian seasoning 🌿 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 🧀 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 🧀 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 🧀 2 cloves minced garlic 🧄 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 🌶

Begin by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions. Aim for al dente for the best texture in your casserole. Once cooked, drain the pasta and set it aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and crumbled Italian sausage. Cook until both meats are browned and fully cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Drain any excess fat to keep your casserole from becoming greasy

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, the meat mixture, pepperoni slices, crumbled bacon, marinara or pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes (if using). Mix everything together until well combined, ensuring that the pasta is evenly coated with sauce and toppings

Transfer the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread it out evenly, then sprinkle the top generously with shredded mozzarella, cheddar, and grated Parmesan cheese. This cheesy layer is what makes the casserole irresistibly delicious!

Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden brown.
Once baked, remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. This will make it easier to slice. Serve warm, and enjoy this cheesy, meaty delight! 🍕🥩

Crafts

Bunny Peep Race Cars

I made these for the great grandchildren for Easter Brunch. It is pretty straight forward. You will need twinkies, mini oreos, bunny peeps and little pretzels.

First you hollow out a large enough space in the Twinkies to fit the Peep bunny in. Insert the pretzel for the steering wheel and using a little bit of icing to “glue” the oreos on to look like wheels. The kids’ eyes really lit up when they saw these!

Kite Wreath for Spring

You will need;

one 19 inch wooden dowel and one 15 inch dowel scrap fabric hot glue ribbon flowers

The first step is to glue the two wooden dowels together to form the base of the kite. We also used zip ties to secure the two together. Then it is time to cover the shape with fabric. Lay your fabric down wrong side up. Put the wooden dowels on the fabric. Cut around the fabric to a couple of inches beyond the ends of the dowels. This will allow you to glue the fabric to the ends of each dowel.

Your next step is to turn it over and add your ribbon details, the kite tail and flowers using a hot glue gun.

This makes for a charming door decoration.

Hacks

• You can put your roll of kitchen garbage bags on a paper towel holder for easy dispensing.
• We all get that lime scale around our faucet bases. Put white vinegar in a bowl and submerge and cleaning cloth in the vinegar. When it is wet with vinegar, wrap it around the base of your faucet. Leave it for 30 minutes. The lime scale will rub right off!
• Store your potatoes in a cardboard box with a few holes poked into it. This makes them last so much longer. The plastic bags they come in are really bad!
• There are ways to use the pasta water when you are done cooking the pasta. One is to use it for making bread. Another is to loosen thick sauce with it. You can also cook rice in it. So save that water in the fridge!
• If you happen to get a smelly drain, you can pour some hydrogen peroxide down it and that will kill all the bacteria that is creating the odor.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found some useful things. See you next month! I better start crafting!