ZUCCHINI BREAD

Summer time means zucchini time. Our garden always produces an abundance of zucchinis. We use them in a variety of ways, but Zucchini Bread is one of the favorites of the whole family. This is a great recipe to use if one of the zucchini gets away from us and gets a little larger than desired. One day in the life of a zucchini in the garden must be seven days in zucchini days. They sure grow fast. Enjoy this moist delicious bread.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and combine. The mixture will seem thick. Add the zucchini and mix together until the batter is moist. Fold in nuts until blended in. Pace in bundt pan and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

3. Let the bread cool for 30 minutes and then remove from the bundt pan.

Enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a great snack!

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY MAPLE SYRUP

Our family likes to have traditional breakfast meals for dinner for fun. I have been looking for a good pancake recipe for some time. I found this recipe on the Saco Foods website. The recipe uses their dry Buttermilk powder which helps give the pancakes a wonderful flavor. This recipe makes about 8 large 8 inch pancakes. The pancakes are big and fluffy. The blueberry maple syrup is an easy way to make this special. Enjoy!

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY MAPLE SYRUP

For the pancakes
2 cups flour
1/2 cup buttermilk powder
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the syrup
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup maple syrup

1. Combine the pancake ingredients and mix. Heat a griddle to medium high heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle. Flip the pancake when the small bubbles slow in formation. Remove from the griddle in 30-60 seconds.
2. Combine the syrup ingredients in a small sauce pan. Cook over a low heat until warm. Serve with the pancakes.

ENJOY!

VEGETARIAN GERMAN POTATO SALAD - DADDY'S DELI NIGHT

This is another of the recipes that I rotate when we have Daddy's Deli Night. I love German Potato Salad which has bacon as an ingredient, but this version has all the flavor and tang. Give it a try, you will not miss the bacon.

VEGETARIAN GERMAN POTATO SALAD

1 1/2 pounds potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
dash black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat a pan with oil. Saute onions until tender. Add flour through black pepper, stirring constantly for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add water and vinegar and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Serve warm or cold.

ENJOY!

BROCCOLI & CHEESE SOUP

Our family loves to have soup for a meal. Usually, we make a loaf of Crusty Cuban Bread with it for a warm and delicious meal. So often Broccoli and Cheese soup has a lot of cream and cheese in it. This recipe makes a smooth and tasteful soup with the emphasis on broccoli. Give it a try and ENJOY!

BROCCOLI & CHEESE SOUP

2 tablespoon butter
2 pounds broccoli, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup water

Saute the above ingredients and then add the water. Let simmer covered for 20 minutes.

The broccoli will looked overcooked. Add 2 cups vegetable broth plus one cup additional water.

2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Add 2 cups spinach leaves and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Place 1/3 the soup mixture in a blender and add the cheese. Process until smooth. Place in bowl and continue until all the soup mixture is blended.
Return to the pot and warm. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve with additional cheese and croutons if desired.

ENJOY!

BARLEY AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

My sister, Joanne, is a great at remembering to send cards for the holidays and birthdays. Usually when a card card comes she sends me various clippings from the newspaper and magazines about new recipes or restaurants in the Twin Cities. I always enjoy receiving them and trying the recipes. This is one of the recipes she sent me and it is a winner. The barley gives the dish a nutty flavor and makes a great main course or side dish. Give it a try and ENJOY!

BARLEY AND ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable stock, divided
2 cups asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the barley and cook for another 3 minutes until lightly toasted.

Add white wine and cook, stirring until the wine has evaporated. Add 2 1/2 cups of the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the asparagus, 1.4 cup Parmesan cheese and remaining broth if needed, simmer, covered for an additional 5 minutes, or until the asparagus and barley are tender. Garnish with remaining Parmesan and almonds.

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

The other day my sister called and asked for this recipe. She wanted to serve it with her Easter dinner. This simple casserole is a great addition to any meal. We usually have it at our Christmas meal with family, After I sent her the recipe, I decided to add it our Easter meal too. ENJOY!

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

2 pounds frozen hash browns
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
corn flakes for topping

Combine the the ingredients except for the corn flakes. Place in a casserole dish. Top with corn flakes and bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.

ENJOY!

THREE BEAN SALAD - DADDY'S DELI NIGHT

I am sorry I have been away for a while. I sold my business in March of last year and I started this blog to have some fun. In December, I had to take the business back and the business took most of my time and focus. Now I am back and will try to have regular postings again. So here goes!

I enjoy making dinners for my family and since I have two vegetarians to cook for, I need to be creative with our menu planning. About once a week, we have Daddy's Deli Night. I make 3 - 4 deli salads for our meal. Today I will share our Three Bean Salad, which is a bit of a misnomer since I put in more than tree types of beans in. You can experiment and put in whatever type of beans you like.

It's nice to be back and ENJOY!

THREE BEAN SALAD

1 15 oz can dark kidney beans
1 15 oz can light kidney beans
1 15 oz can green beans
1 15 ox can wax beans
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 cups celery sliced
1 large onion sliced
1 medium green pepper chopped
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup basil chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Drain beans and combine with vegetables and basil.
2. Boil the vinegar, oil and sugar to a boil
3. Cool the liquid mixture and pour over the vegetables. Refrigerate overnight.

ENJOY!