The calories were totally worth it

I made this today.

I should probably save some for the rest of the family.

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Lemon ~ Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

adapted from this recipe

To make the loaf:

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup vanilla whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup {whole cane} sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest {about 2 lemons}
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

To make the lemon syrup:

• 1/3 cup {whole cane} sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

To make the lemon glaze:

• 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
• 2 ~ 3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
   
   
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
   
   
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. After wet & dry ingredients are combined, use the medium dry bowl to mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour.  Fold the floured blueberries gently into the batter.
   
   
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
   
   
5. While the loaf is cooling, whisk together the lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
   
   
6. Place a plate or some sort of pan underneath the cooling rack...the next steps will be messy!
   
   
7. Use a toothpick {or a matchstick if you happen to be out of toothpicks! :) } to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake. Brush the sides & top of loaf again with the excess syrup that dripped onto the plate.  Let the cake cool completely.
   
   
8. Once the loaf has completely cooled, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a small bowl. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If the mixture does not easily pour, add more lemon juice in small amounts until you reach the desired consistency. Position a plate underneath the rack and slowly pour the lemon glaze over the top of the loaf and let it drip down the sides. {if you're like me and wanted every ounce of glazy-goodness on that loaf, then you can scrape the glaze drippings with a spatula and re-drip onto the loaf.}
   
   
9.  Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.
   
   
10.  It is perfectly acceptable, {normal even!}, to sneak 3 pieces before sharing with anyone else. :)

Roasted Garlic Tomatoes with Gorgonzola

I got this recipe a couple of weeks ago while watching Food Network and knew right away it was something I had to make. We've had it twice already since then.  These tomatoes stand alone as a perfect, light appetizer or add a compliment to pasta dish. Both times I made them, I served them with a side of alfredo pasta. I actually think that if you were looking for a "lighter" not super-filling fare, they could act as the main course. In any case, they are super easy, super yummy and I just had to share. You could  substitute any cheese for the gorgonzola: feta, parmesan, goat, bleu cheese, etc. I'm not really huge into measurements when cooking, but if you wanted to see the exact measurements, you can view the original recipe here.

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Roasted Garlic Tomatoes with Gorgonzola

olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
Roma tomatoes
gorgonzola crumbles
breadcrumbs {flavored or unflavored. I believe mine were Parmesan}

Preheat oven to 375.

Begin by slicing the tomatoes lengthwise and scooping out the seeds with a spoon or melon baller. Place the tomatoes upside down on some paper towels to drain for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl, mix the olive oil, minced garlic, salt & pepper. Add in the tomato halves and mix with your hands to coat. Let them marinate in the olive oil mixture for at least 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix equal parts gorgonzola & breadcrumbs {ie: :1/2 cup to 1/2 cup}. When tomatoes are done marinating, place open side up on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Fill each tomato with the gorgonzola & breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle the tops with any remaining olive oil left in your bowl.

Roast in pre-heated oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

This recipe was originally called MINI Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, but since there's only the two of us, I figured we really don't need 36 {mini} pies! Better to make 12 regular size ones. :o) Not only do these pies have the standard cream filling, but it's a cream cheese filling. Yum. Definitely put these on your "to bake" list. And what to do with the leftover can of pumpkin? Why, pumpkin pancakes the next morning, of course! Little side note: when you make the frosting, it will seem that there might not be enough yummy goodness for all 12 {or 36} pies, but do not despair! Do yourself a favor and apply filling liberally. There is plenty to go around!

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

FOR COOKIES:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. (A total of 72 cookies are needed for the mini pie recipe.)BAKE for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

FOR CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.SPREAD a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

*Since I made regular size pies, the cookie "drops" were more like a heaping tablespoon or two and the same when spreading the filling on the baked cookies.

Shrimp Scampi

I originally got my shrimp scampi recipe from my parents good friend in Maine, Mansell, who is quite the seafood cook aficionado. I don't remember exactly what the original recipe was, so I'm not sure how true I prepare it now. This is one of those dishes that seems like it would take a lot to put together, but it really couldn't be simpler. This scampi is so flavorful and one of my favorites. I rarely measure any of the ingredients, but I tried to estimate what I used tonight. If you add more or less, you really won't ruin the recipe at all. If you like sauce, or use a lot of shrimp, just increase the amounts. Serve this over your favorite pasta {I use whole wheat angel hair} with your favorite garlic bread {I used homemade French bread buttered & sprinkled with garlic powder & oregano} and you're sure to come back for seconds!

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Shrimp Scampi
Adapted from: Mansell Taylor

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
2 Tbsp. jar minced garlic
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
juice of 2 lemons
frozen shrimp, thawed & tails removed
pasta

Directions:
Preheat oven broiler on high.

Place butter & garlic in glass 8x8 pan and microwave on high until butter is melted. Remove from microwave, add oregano & lemon juice. Place thawed shrimp in dish with butter mixture and broil in oven for 5-8 minutes, until shrimp curls & is cooked. Serve over your favorite pasta!

**Tip: If you get your water boiling and add the pasta at the same time you put the shrimp under the broiler, everything should be ready at the same time!

Persimmon Pudding

I'm learning a lot of new Southern cooking & baking ingredients and recipes since living in North Carolina! In my CSA box this past week, I got 3 persimmons. For some reason, I thought persimmons were a flower?! Maybe they're both. They're a very pretty little fruit {or vegetable?}, don't you think? Maybe I should research just exactly what they are. Aaron is definitely a big fan of the new dessert. He doesn't usually make a big fuss over things, but the last couple of nights he can't wait to get his hands on it. Last night, out of the blue, he says "So, I think I might have a new favorite dessert!". Meaning the persimmon pudding.

Persimmon pudding is actually more cake-like than pudding-like. The entire consistency is a little more mushy than a true cake would be, but definitely mirrors a cake more than what I think of as pudding. I adapted the original recipe a little bit by adding a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and I would describe the taste as almost a pumpkin gingerbread.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of persimmon pulp. I had 3 persimmons and just used all of them. The persimmons that have an almost transparent skin and mushy insides, are the ripest & best. Just cut it in half and press through a fine-mesh sieve or food mill, discarding the flesh & seeds. I was impatient & wanted to make the pudding, so the more firm persimmons took a bit more elbow grease. I scooped out the insides with a spoon and mashed them through the sieve with a spatula and/or spoon.

This recipe is a definite "must make"...if you can get your hands on some persimmons!

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Persimmon Pudding
Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups sugar {I use raw cane}
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk {I use raw, whole}
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and butter a pie plate.* In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour into buttered pie plate and bake for 40 -45 minutes.

*The original recipe used a 9x13 pan and to bake for 30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center came out with no batter stuck to it. Baking it in a pie plate worked perfectly and created a little thicker portions of pudding. We like things a little more "mushy", so by using a pie plate, the center of the pudding was a little more soft-set.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Aaron is a big dough-eater...meaning: I'm very used to him coming in with a serving spoon and stealing heaping spoonfuls of whatever cookie dough I happen to be preparing. Sometimes he likes it and will come back for more and other times he's not thrilled with the dough, so he'll move along. I wasn't convinced he would like these because of the different ingredients...boy was I ever wrong! He took no less than 5 serving spoonfuls of the dough and kept pretending he couldn't tell if he liked it or not. When some of the dough actually had a chance to bake, he came back for 4 more! I finally had a chance to try one and I knew right away what all the fuss was about. They were yummy...beyond yummy. The white chips get a little toasty while baking and reminded me of a lightly toasted marshmallow. You must make these cookies...you won't be disappointed. The only thing I did different from the recipe was to add more white chips...probably closer to a cup. Maybe a little more.

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Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
By: Ocean Spray

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 6 oz. package cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light & fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture in several batches, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Spicy Sausage Shepherd's Pie

I made this last night for the first time and it was delicious! Aaron is not fond of regular Shepherd's Pie and was pleasantly surprised when he found out that this dish wasn't. I used hot sausage in the recipe and it was pretty spicy, so if you don't care for too much spice, you're better off choosing a mild sausage. I think that any type of sausage would work well in here...a spinach & feta might be nice to try. You can also use regular baking potatoes, I just prefer red. The cabbage was crisp-tender and a yummy way to get in some great nutrition!

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Spicy Sausage Shepherd's Pie
Adapted from: Rachel Ray

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds red potatoes {about 8}, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons cream
Salt & pepper
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 head green cabbage, cored & sliced into thin strips
1 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. horseradish
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
Preheat broiler. In a pot, place potatoes and add enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Salt the water well. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover and cook until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and mash in the broth, cream, salt & pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked sausage to a bowl. In the same skillet, add the cabbage, onion, & garlic, season with salt & pepper, and saute until golden. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and the horseradish. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until liquid is reduced, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the reserved sausage & chopped parsley.

Transfer the sausage mixture to a baking dish and spoon the mashed potato mixture over the top. Broil until the potatoes are golden brown, about 5-10 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin Pie Spice
Recipe from: All Recipes

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
4 tsp. ground nutmet
4 tsp. ginger
3 tsp. all spice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in airtight container or Ziploc baggie.

Meaty, Cheesy Lasagna

Aaron & I have a tradition that we make each other whatever meal & dessert we would like for our birthdays. Since we've been married, Aaron has had very simple requests...he's not a fussy eater and doesn't care about very elaborate dishes. However, this year he threw me a curve ball when he requested lasagna! I was pleased to make it, but truth be told, it was only the second time I'd ever made one. It turned out great...meaty, cheesy, delicious. Served with a side salad and a crusty garlic bread it was a perfect, hearty birthday meal.

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My Meaty Cheesy Lasagna

Ingredients:
no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage8 oz package mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. garlic salt
1-2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1-2 Tbsp. fresh {or dried} basil
chili powder, to tastegarlic powder, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
2 {24.5 oz} jars of pasta sauce
1 can garlic, onion, basil diced tomatoes
1 {15 oz} container ricotta cheese
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 - 1 cup grated parmesan cheese1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cook ground beef & Italian sausage in large pot or skillet over medium heat. I bought 4 Italian sausage links and removed the skin. Once cooked, drain. Return to pot or skillet and add mushrooms, tomato sauce, & diced tomatoes. Season to taste with garlic salt, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, basil, salt, pepper. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the eggs, ricotta & parmesan cheeses.

Once meat mixture is done simmering, ladle enough to cover the bottom of your lasagna dish. Add a layer of lasagna noodles to fit on top of the meat sauce. Spread about 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the ricotta cheese mixture, then ladle enough meat sauce to cover the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering twice more and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cover dish with tin foil and bake in pre-heated oven for about 1 hour - 1 hour 15 min. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Lemon Chess Pie

Aaron had a conversation at work one day about pie, and was excited to have me try two different Southern pies that neither of us had ever heard of. One of them was chess pie, that was described as like pecan pie, minus the pecans. It sounded really good to me, because the filling is the best part of pecan pie! There appears to be many different ways to make a chess pie, but I chose to make a lemon variety and have made it twice since. One of the wonderful things about this pie is the thin, slightly crusty layer that forms on the top. This pie has a delightful, refreshing lemon flavor that is not overpowering. Definitely a new favorite!

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Lemon Chess Pie
Adapted from: Food Network

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie crust
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
1Tbsp. fine, yellow cornmeal
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice, with pulp (about 2 lemons)

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour and cornmeal. Blend well, then add the eggs and combine well. Add the milk and mix then stir in the melted butter, lemon rind and juice. Pour this filling into the crust and cover then edge of the crust with foil to prevent it from burning, taking care not to touch the filling.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, removing the foil after 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve. This can be refrigerated overnight, but let it sit on the counter for 3 hours before serving to warm up slightly. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Perfect Flaky Pie Crust

If you don't usually {or are afraid to!} make your own pie crust, then this recipe is for you. It is so simple and takes about 5 minutes to put together, minus refrigerator time. I use butter-flavored shortening which gives the crust a smooth, buttery flavor, but regular would work just fine.

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Perfectly Flaky Pie Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

Directions:
Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.

Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

I made this pie for our church small group gathering at our home last week. It was a hit...so much in fact that I made it twice in the same week. I normally prefer a crust top, but I modified this topping a bit and think that this might be a new favorite. Both times I've made this pie, I've used 3-4 different types of apples and I think that using different types gives it a wonderful flavor. If you don't usually, or are afraid to, make your own crust, you need to give this one a try. It is super easy to put together and its perfect flakiness is completely worth the little extra effort.

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Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
Adapted from: All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 pie shell
6 cups thinly sliced apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crumb topping:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
sprinkle of cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Spoon mixture into pie shell.

In a small bowl mix together the 1/4 cup flour, brown sugar and oats. Soften butter and toss into mixture until moist and crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. {There will be a generous amount of topping. Sprinkle liberally!} Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Grilled BBQ Pork Chops and Steak Fries with a Citrus-Thyme Aoli

I've been doing a lot of grilling lately and really enjoying it. Grilling just says "summer" to me and it always gives the food such a nice flavor. We had seen this aoli recipe some time ago and Aaron thought it sounded good, so I decided to finally give it a try. It was easy, easy, easy. I served the chops and fries with a side of cooked spinach {drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt & pepper} for a perfectly seasoned, summertime meal.

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Grilled BBQ Pork Chops
I used 6 thin-sliced chops, but you could use however many you wanted. Sprinkle both sides with onion powder, paprika, and sugar. Place all chops in a gallon Ziploc bag with your favorite BBQ sauce {I used Wegmans' "Kansas City"} and marinate for at least 3 hours.

Steak Fries with Citrus-Thyme Aoli
Adapted from: Bobby Flay

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 russet potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic, zests, thyme, paprika, honey and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Put the potatoes in a pot of cold water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, but still firm. Drain, let cool and cut each potato in half, then into strips lengthwise so you have 3-4 "fries".

Heat the grill to medium. Drizzle the potatoes with the oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter or bowl and serve with the mayonnaise.

My Modifications:
I am famous for thinking I have an ingredient I need and I'm in the middle of cooking the dish, realize I don't have it and needing to improvise. This is what happened with the thyme. I was going to use dried thyme anyway, but regardless, I ended up not having any. Instead, I used about 1 tsp. of dried Italian seasoning. I also used regular paprika instead of smoked and only 4 potatoes. I also squeezed in some fresh lemon juice, to taste. Just add a little at a time so you don't get a runny aoli.

If you've never made a paste out of the garlic cloves, all you do is smash each clove with the flat side of your knife (use a wide blade) and continue to press and drag {the flat side}the knife across the garlic. Eventually, you will see it start to get pasty. You can add a pinch of salt to help with this process. The original recipe said to grill the fries about 3-4 minutes on each side, but I threw them on the grill with the pork chops and did each the same amount of time, probably about 10 minutes each side.

Clemetine's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I believe this recipe came from the Ghiradelli website a looong time ago and these cookies are fantabulous. The only thing to watch out for is not to over-cook them. I cook them for 10 minutes and at that stage they are browning around the edges, but look a little mushy/runny in the middle. Don't let that fool you into cooking them longer. I just made a batch tonight and let the 2nd dozen stay in for 15 minutes. Not burned, but much browner. I recommend doing the 10 minutes (or until they look as described above), take them out of the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes or so to stiffen up a bit. Then transfer to the cooling rack. This made about 3 dozen good-sized cookies...would have made a bit more had the cookie-dough-monster not shown up! Oh...and no. I have absolutely no idea who clementine is. But I hear she's a darling.

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Clementine's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from: Ghiradelli

Ingredients:
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup unsifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups oats, uncooked
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color (about 4 minutes!). Add vanilla and egg, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir flour with baking soda, salt, and spices; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes for a chewy cookie, 10-12 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on a cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling racks. Store in tightly covered container.

My Modifications:
I have made these twice in the past 3 days and both times I did something a little different and neither time did I use walnuts. In fact, I used no nuts. The first time, in addition to the chocolate chips I also added some leftover butterscotch chips I had laying around. It was probably around 1/2 cup. The 2nd time, I substituted raisins for the chocolate chips to make oatmeal raisin cookies. Still tasted amazing! Next time, I'll probably try cranberries. Mmmm...

Apple-Zucchini Muffins

I think I might be the first person to think that zucchini and apples might go together! {Not really}. The combo sounded great to me and I have lots of apples to use up so who thought it would be difficult to find such a muffin recipe. I still wasn't able to find one, so I adapted it from a apple-nut recipe. This recipe is a winner on all sorts of levels. Not only did I need to keep myself from eating the batter, but when baked, they look so rustic and comforting.

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Apple-Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from: Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk {or sour cream}
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup peeled, cored, & chopped apples
1 cup shredded zucchini

Streusal Topping:
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon oats
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.

Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the apples and walnuts. Divide the batter among the muffin tin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

To make the streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until well combined and crumbly.

Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture over the top of each muffin. Bake until a tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit in the muffin tin for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool slightly before serving.

My Modifications:
The original recipe included walnuts and omitted the zucchini. Also, in the streusel topping, it actually called for chopped walnuts instead of the oats. The oats were my ad-in at a 1:1 ratio. To chop the apples, I used a food processor. SO much easier. I made 6 muffins at a time for 12 minutes each batch. The zucchini made these super moist, so be careful when taking out of the tin. They were pretty delicate. If you're more interested in making it with nuts, you can view the original recipe by clicking the link above.

Fresh Peach Cobbler

Since we now live in the South, I have a never-ending supply of fresh, local peaches at my fingertips all summer long. I began to look for a peach cobbler recipe and, at first, was actually a little discouraged. Many of the peach cobbler recipes I saw called for canned peaches. I suppose I could have substituted fresh, but for whatever reason, I wasn't interested in the recipe when I saw "canned peaches". I'm glad I waited it out, because I finally came across this recipe and have made it at least half a dozen times the last 2 months! It's quick and easy to put together and don't be surprised if the pan doesn't last very long.

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Fresh Peach Cobbler
Adapted from: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
5-6 peaches, peeled & sliced
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk

Directions:
In a bowl, combine peaches and 3/4 cup sugar; set aside. Pour butter into an 8-in. square baking dish. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and remaining sugar; stir in milk just until combined. Pour over butter. Top with the peaches. Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

My Modifications:
The original recipe actually calls for 2 large peaches...this is simply not enough! I like peaches with my cobbler, thank you. Also, it's absolutely not necessary to use 1/2 cup butter. Half to 3/4 of a stick is plenty. Also, {probably because I use more peaches!} sometimes the dough has a harder time rising above the peaches. I just check periodically and push the peaches down and towards the sides of the dish and it seems to do the trick.

Garbanzo Bean Salad

This was originally intended to be a black bean salad; however, I discovered I had no black beans. In fact, I couldn't find a recipe that 100% coincided with ingredients I did have and needed to use. So...I made my own. I'm great at adapting or modifying pre-existing recipes, but I'm not very skilled at coming up with my own. However, this bean salad turned out wonderful and would be the perfect summertime addition to any picnic. Which is exactly what we did.

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Garbanzo Bean Salad
Adapted from: Me!

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans
2 ears of corn, cooked
1 "stalk" green onion
1 medium green pepper
2 sweet peppers
1 medium tomato
Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
Drain and rinse garbanzo beans and place in bowl. Using a knife, remove corn from cob and add to bowl. Chop green onion and peppers and add to garbanzo beans & corn. De-seed tomato, dice, and add to mixture. Add salt, pepper, and vinaigrette to taste. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour {to marry flavors} before serving.

Modifications:
I think some red pepper would be nice in this dish and give it some more color. If you don't have fresh corn you could use frozen. Black beans would work in place of, or in addition to, the garbanzo beans and you could use any variation of vinaigrette. When seasoning, I use sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Whole-Wheat Apple Pancakes

These are fairly simple to put together. In fact, I whipped up a batch for Aaron's breakfast before work one morning. I put the leftovers in the fridge to heat up for other breakfasts'. They kept nicely and heated up well. This recipe should make 6 pancakes. Serving size is 2 pancakes and has 230 calories and 3g of fat. {I'm guessing most of which is from the syrup!}. A yummy, healthy, but hearty, breakfast option.

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Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes
Adapted from: Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
3/4 cup non-fat milk
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. honey
6 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 medium apple, diced
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250. Put the apple in a microwave-safe bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap; microwave on high until softened, about 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, nonfat milk, eggs and honey, then slowly add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.

Heat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake and sprinkle each with apple, then drizzle a little more batter over the apple. Cook until the tops are bubbly and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 more minutes. Keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven while making the rest.

Place 2 pancakes on each plate. Drizzle with the syrup.

My Modifications:
I can't remember if I modified anything in this recipe, but I'm thinking I didn't. However, if you don't have any buttermilk, did you know you can make your own? Put 1 Tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk. Let it stand for 5 minutes and Voila! Buttermilk! You'll see the consistency change.

Coconut Cream Pie

Aaron recently asked me to make a Coconut Cream pie. I didn't know he even liked that kind of pie and I'd never made it. But what my man wants! I set out to find a recipe and very quickly realized that it wasn't going to be as simple as I thought. Not impossible, just a little more involved, like tempering the eggs and such. I finally managed to find one that seemed do-able and it was delish. Let's just say, we both had 2 pieces for dessert. I made one minor modification, which I do think improved the quality.

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Coconut Cream Pie
Adapted from: All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
4 eggs
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
1 9-inch pie shell, baked

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt over a medium heat; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and cook 2 minutes more. Remove the pan from heat.

Separate the egg yolks from whites. Beat the egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into yolks. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan and bring the entire mixture to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes before removing the pan from heat.

Stir butter, vanilla, and coconut into the hot mixture. Pour the hot filling into the baked pie crust. Cool. Cover and chill to store the pie if not serving immediately.

My Modifications:
The recipe calls for 3 cups of milk, so I used 2 cups (1 can) of coconut milk and 1 cup of regular 1%. I think using the coconut milk enhances the coconut taste, but it's still pretty mild. I use whole-cane sugar for baking & cooking, but it's a 1:1 ratio with your average granulated white sugar. I also chilled for a couple of hours and sprinkled flaked coconut on each slice before serving.

Breakfast Casserole

The first time I made this recipe was for our Sunday School class. After I finished preparing it the night before, I started to get nervous...it can be a risky little game to make something for other people that you've never tried before! However, it turned out really well and is a definite "will-make-again".

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Breakfast Casserole
Adapted from: Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup half & half
2 Tbsp. green onion
salt & pepper
butter to grease pan
6-8 slices Texas Toast
1 lb. pork sausage
1 cup (or more!) grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a small bowl, beat the eggs until they loosen up. Add the half and half, and green onions. Mix well, highly season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Butter a 12 by 10-inch baking pan. Line the pan with the bread, cutting and rearranging, if needed. Sprinkle the bread with the cooked sausage and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the entire pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

My Modifications:
I added green peppers and much more than 1 cup cheese. I used extra sharp cheddar, but I think any would do. Think of this dish as a big omelet over toast. Anything you would put in an omelet would be delicious in this. I also used 7 eggs...you could use more, if desired. Just increase the cooking time. Make sure to butter the pan really well to avoid stickage!