Zucchini Tots

I don't know a single person that dislikes tater tots. They are crunchy, salty, greasy, and comforting. However, tater tots are kind of a pain to make homemade and I'm sure they are awful for you.

Before I go any further, I want you all to know that these zucchini tots are in no way a substitution for good 'ol greasy tots. These are only a healthier, homemade alternative at the most. I found this recipe when looking for ways to use up zucchini. It is also all over pintrest. Who knew these tots (or bites) from The Curious Country Cook would be so delicious? They are very easy to make and don't take long at all. As for taste, they are kind of like a quiche with more of a tot texture, for lack of a better description. They are definitely worth making and there is a lot you could do to play with different flavor combinations.

Time: 25 minutes
Yields 12 mini muffins

Ingredients
1 egg
1/4 yellow or white onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese, grated (cheddar is my favorite)
1/4 cup bread crumbs (original post used Italian style, but I added my own herbs)
1 cup zucchini, grated 
Salt and pepper
Other wanted seasonings/spices

Preheat oven to 400 F and grease your mini muffin tin.
Start by beating the egg in a medium sized bowl. Add in the onion, cheese, and bread crumbs.

Wring the moisture out of your zucchini by sticking it in a towel and squeezing real hard. You could skip this step but then your tots wold be squishy and not as crispy.

Add the zucchini to your bowl of eggy cheese and bread crumbs.

Salt and pepper the mixture and add any other desired seasonings. I like garlic salt and cayenne pepper with cheddar cheese or garlic with Italian seasonings with parmesan cheese. Scoop the mixture into the mini muffin pans and squish it in.

Bake these morsels for about 18 minutes or until they are the desired browned and crispiness. Let them sit a couple minutes and then slide them out.

 These are good as a side dish, a snack, or even breakfast...any time really. Enjoy!

Original post at http://curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com/2012/03/zucchini-tots.html

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

 I love Farmer's Markets. I love people watching and seeing what is available to buy. Some days I come home with nothing but other days I come home loaded with tomatoes, potatoes, berries, peppers, herbs, and zucchini. I get home and wonder what I'm going to do with it all, but I figure that out later. I do have a couple quick fixes for zucchini. This recipe is one of them.

Growing up my mom often made zucchini brownies. That sounds odd, but they are really just chocolate brownies with tiny flecks of green. You don't really taste the zucchini..just chocolate. They are pretty good. So last year when I was looking for alternative baked goods involving zucchini, I cam across this recipe from Adam and Joanne at Inspired Taste. This bread is delicious! You don't taste the zucchini one bit and the texture is barely tampered with. It's moist, chocolatey, and sweet enough for dessert, but not too sweet for breakfast. It has a delightful cake texture and is just all around amazing. If you have extra zucchini lying around, grate it up and get ready for something amazing.

Time: 70 minutes
Makes 1 loaf or 18 muffins
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
3/4 cup chocolate chips, opt

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the oil and both sugars. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and coffee granules.

Pre-beating...

Post-beating

 In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).

I thought it was kind of pretty...so I snapped a picture.

Mix it up well

 Dump your shredded zucchini into the bowl with the dry ingredients. I had a 1/2 cup measure handy so I loaded it up and dumped it in.

Mix it up until all the zucchini is coated with the powders.

 Add the dry ingredients and zucchini into the wet ingredients in batches. Mix it until everything is moistened and combined. If you want to add chocolate chips, do that now.

Pour the batter into your pan and pop it in the oven. I didn't have a 9x5 pan so I used my slightly smaller pan and one mini-loaf pan.

Please ignore the cast iron pizza pan...it's been treated pretty roughly.

 Bake the cake...I mean bread...for about an hour. You should be able to stick a toothpick in it and have it come out clean. Set the loaf on a cooling rack and dump it out whenever you feel up to it. If you make muffins instead of a loaf, they only take about 20 minutes.

I forgot to take a picture of it sliced because I just wanted to eat it. So yummy! Next time I'm going to make it in muffin wrappers just for something different. If you do that though, remember it won't bake as long. Slice a chunk off and enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Original recipe at http://www.inspiredtaste.net/2108/chocolate-zucchini-bread/

Oatmeal Coconut Chewies

As a kindergarten teacher, I acquire some odd things. I've collected small nick-knacks given to me by little hands, items left in cubbies, and various artifacts from the playground. Also, random food items; as part of the Christmas party, kindergarteners make candy trees instead of gingerbread houses. As the teacher, I request parents to send various candy items to school: white frosting, M&Ms, licorice, marshmallows, chocolate chips, coconut, etc. Kids get to frost pointy ice cream cones with green frosting and stick candy all over it. Of course, by the end students have mouths dyed by green frosting and they are hyped up from all the candy that didn't make it on the tree.

I had some extra coconut that I had no use for at school, so i brought it home to use. I didn't feel too bad doing this, because the kids really weren't that into coconut and it would be better used in my cabinets. So I come home and shove 3 bags of coconut in my cabinet, not having a clue what I should do with them. I scour the internet for different recipes and definitely found a few winners. Among them were these Oatmeal Coconut Chewies from Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. These are tasty with an awesome chewy texture if you bake them just right. They come together quickly and are fantastic if you have coconut to use, like me!

Time: 10 min prep and 10 min for each tray you bake
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup softened butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream together both sugars, eggs, butter, and vanilla until it looks like this...

 

Pretty color for baking... :)

Dump in the baking powder, soda, salt, and flour and mix until it's all combined.

Finally, dump in the oatmeal and coconut and stir to combine.

It will be pretty thick, but mix it as well as you can.

Grease your cookies sheets or slap your parchment paper on there and drop the dough by tablespoons a couple inches apart. They will spread quite a bit so be sure to leave some space.

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes. They should be just barely browned. If they brown too much they will be crispy and not chewy. In my picture below, I actually overbaked them slightly. Watch them carefully!

Let them cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes and place them on a cooling rack. These cookies are amazing especially if you just want something sweet, but not too sweet. Good stuff!

Original recipe at http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/06/oatmeal-coconut-chewies.html

German Chocolate Brownies - Waldman Family Style

It's been a month since my last post...you would think with school out that I would have posted much more. However, since school has ended I have had oral surgery, attended my grandfather's 80th birthday, started and finished a Master's course, and gotten a new puppy! It's been a busy month! But I had a bit of downtime and thought it was time to share another recipe.

For my grandfather's birthday, he requested these German Chocolate Brownies. He had a big party at his house with all his friends and the whole family. It was a wonderful time and it was an excuse for me to bake! I baked four different things and came home with very little. One item was the Slutty Brownies that I shared not too long ago. Those were a hit among the little old ladies and they though the name was a hoot! My grandfather's friends are pretty great. So anyway...back to these brownies. I don't really know where this recipe came from but my mom has been making it for years. If you love chocolate, caramel, and brownies, you will love these brownies!

Time: 45ish minutes
Ingredients
1 package of wrapped caramels (14 oz size)
2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided
1 package German Chocolate Cake Mix (any brand will work)
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 package chocolate chips (12 oz)

Preheat oven to 350.

The first thing you have to do is unwrap all those caramels. It takes a while and I know you will be tempted the whole time, but it must be done. As you unwrap the caramels throw them into a microwave-safe bowl or into the top part of a double boiler. Now melt those sticky pieces of awesomeness using whatever method you choose. Once they are melted, stir in 1/3 cup of evaporated milk.

Once that is all mixed well, set it aside.

  

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the German Chocolate Cake mix with the melted butter and the remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk. It will seem thick, but remember, the desired outcome is brownies, not cake. 

Now, press half of the batter into a greased 9x13 pan. You can use a spatula, spoon, or whatever, but as you can see from the picture, I may have used my hands...and left finger indentations...

Pop it in the oven for about 6 minutes or until it is slightly firm.

While this layer is still warm, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the whole pan.

Remember that caramel mixture you set aside? Get that and spread it on top of the chocolate chips. Run a spatula over all of it until the whole bottom layer is covered.

Now comes a tricky part. You have to take the rest of the batter and spread it on top of the caramel. It's tricky, because the batter doesn't spread very easily. I take chunks of it in my fingers and squish it before I place it on top. Try your best to cover as much of the caramel as possible.

 It looks awkward, but it will bake to deliciousness...I promise.

I thought it looked cool, so I took another picture...

Now stick the whole thing in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the brownie portion has set and has browned around the edges. 

Here comes another tricky part...you must let these cool completely before cutting in! If you don't, they will be a gooey mess. An amazing gooey mess, but not finger food. However, my family has been known to scoop the goo in a bowl and eat it with ice cream. But these are meant to be brownies. So, cool and then cut. Please make these...you won't regret it. They are chewy, chocolatey, and delicious!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudgies

 I have officially finished my second year of teaching! Those of you who don't know me have no idea how exciting that really is. This year was a tough one for me...I'm not going to go into details because I don't want to relive it, but the important thing is cookies! On my last official duty day at my school, I took about 6 dozen cookies for the staff as a sort of thank you for everything they have done for me. I'm very thankful to each and everyone of them and I don't know how to show appreciation better than cooking or baking. I had a tough time choosing cookies, but this specific cookie was requested by my co-teacher.

These cookies are amazing if you are looking for something with chocolate, peanut butter, and a fudge texture. If you make them really well, you won't even see the peanut butter; it's like a little surprise when you bite in. I don't remember when I found them but I'm glad I did. Jenny Flake over at Picky Palate knew what she was doing.

I recommended these cookies to a friend and she called me the next day saying these cookies changed her life. She has decided that these cookies are a life-changing event and that everything in her life will now be B.C. (before the cookies) and A.C. (after the cookies). She also informed me how messy these cookies were to make :) If you don't mind a little mess, please make these cookies!

Time: 30ish minutes
Ingredients
1 cup peanutbutter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

2 sticks softened butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TBS vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper...or grease it lightly, your choice.

First we will prepare the peanut butter filling. Mix up the peanut butter and sugar and then mix in the eggs. Combine until smooth and set it aside.

Now for the chocolate dough. Cream the butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla in a large mixing bowl with a stand mixer or hand beater. Next, slowly mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Finally add in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips until it is just combined. I recommend using a wooden spoon or spatula to stir and nothing plastic...it is pretty dense. Once you have mixed it place it in the fridge for a little bit. You don't have to do this, but I think it helps.

Now comes the fun messy part of assembling the cookies. There are a couple different ways you could assemble them. The original poster used three balls of dough and then squished them all together. I used one big disc of dough and a smaller. I will detail how I did it. Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to scoop a chunk of chocolate dough into your hand. (You might want to spray your hands with cooking spray first, but I didn't.) Flatten the dough in your hand and then use a small scoop or spoon to dish up some peanut butter dough into the middle of your flattened chocolate dough.

Now roll it up into a ball, hiding the peanut butter dough inside the chocolate. It's more fun that way.

 

 Place your chocolatey goodness on your prepared pans about and inch apart and squish them down until they are about 1/4" thick.

I forgot to squish them down before I snapped a picture...

Put your pan in the oven and let them bake for about 16 minutes or until they are set. When they are ready, let them set on the sheet for about 5 minutes and then take them off.

 These are fantastic warm, but are also very tasty cool. These last for quite a few days if stored in tupperware and are fantastic as the outside of ice cream cookie sandwiches! Enjoy!

 Original source: http://picky-palate.com/2011/06/06/chocolate-fudge-peanut-butter-cookie-stuffed-cookies/

Slutty Brownies....Finally!

So looking at my blog, I can see that I have not posted since the beginning of April...it is now towards the end of May. That lack of activity can be attributed to a hectic schedule. But, school is over for the year! The end of the year is a time of ridiculous crazyness, but it is over! To catch up, I have ended my last year as a Kindergarten Dual-Language teacher and will be teaching K-6 Spanish in a different district. As for TBDH, he is still figuring out what he wants to do. Currently is is interning with a computer repair service and looking for jobs. We will see what happens.
As school was coming to an end, I decided I needed to take something special to the staff. These brownies seemed perfect. Oreos were on sale and I had an idea. I found these Slutty Brownies on Pintrest from several different sources, but they were all essentially the same. One source actually did give some reason for the name. She says that these are easy and just a little bit dirty. One source also called them Lasagna Brownies, but I'm a fan of the Slutty moniker. I tried making these brownies once and they turned out pretty good, but I knew they could be better. I tried a second time but they weren't as good as the first time. So I had an idea to help these reach their full potential. Essentially these brownies are cookie dough, Oreo, and brownie. The first and second time I made these I discovered the cookie dough bakes much faster than the brownie, creating a drier crust and with a very moist top. I was hoping for more moisture in the cookie layer too.
My brilliant idea was to make these in muffin tins instead of a large pan! Brilliant, right?! It's not that exciting until to taste them. So moist and delicious. You must try these!

Time: 40 minutes
Makes about 2.5 dozen brownies with extra cookie dough
Ingredients
Full recipe of your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough (I use the Nestle Tollhouse recipe for these, with slight alteration)
Brownie batter (I'm a fan of Betty Crocker's Fudge Brownie Mix)
1 package of Oreos

Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
1 stick of soften butter
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cup chocolate chips

Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies
1 brownie mix
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375

For the cookies
Cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract until all combined. Beat in the two eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until all is mixed. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. Let that sit aside while you make the brownie batter and try to not eat all the dough. Cookie dough is my weakness...

For the Brownies
Combine brownie mix, water, oil, and eggs until all the mix is moistened. It's ok if their are some lumps.

Assembly
You can either line muffin tins with papers or spray them very well with cooking spray. Press cookie dough into each muffin well until it is about half full. Next, press an Oreo into each well.

Finally, top the wells off with brownie batter until the Oreos are covered.

Place the deliciousness into the oven for 16-18 minutes or until brownie top is done. Let the pan cool for about 5-10 minutes before lifting the liners out. If not using liners, let the brownies cool even longer before trying to remove them. You can let them cool completely before eating them, but you might as well try one while they are warm. I have also heard these are good with vanilla ice cream on top, but I never make it that far. My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of this sliced open...it's beautiful when you see the layers.

I was testing liners vs. non-liners..both are amazing :)

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Food that can be homemade and frozen are amazing. I never really like store-bought taquitos, but these are pretty tasty, and I know everything that is in them. These are one of those foods that are easy to throw together, freeze, and pull out another day for deliciousness. If you are a fan of those dry freezer taquitos, please try these from A Homemade Kitchen. They are worth your time to make them.

Time: 20 minutes to prep, 20 to bake
Ingredients
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 finely minced garlic clove
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro (I never have this, but have been told parsley can substitute. I just sprinkle some in)
1 small roasted red bell pepper, finely chopped
1-2 green onions, sliced
2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I used rotisserie chicken last time..worked great!)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used colby-jack but use what you want)
10-12 6 inch flour or corn tortillas (I prefer flour)
cooking spray
salt

If you roast your own bell pepper, start this first. If you don't know how, here is a quick rundown. Cut the pepper in half and remove seeds and whatnot. Stick it cut side down in an oven under the broiler. Leave it in there until the skin starts turning black and blistering. Take it out and immediately put the pepper in a plastic baggie and seal it. Once the pepper has cooled down, take it out and peel the skin off. Continue with everything else.

Your pepper should look something like this when you take it out of the oven.

Mix everything except the last three ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Really...that's all you do..

First 10 ingredients...

+ cheese and chicken..

Warm the tortillas slightly in the microwave. I suggest putting a few between two paper towels and nuking them for about 10-15 seconds or until they are soft. Spoon your nummy mixture into the middle of the tortillas.

Roll them up!

If you are going to bake them now, put them on foil or parchment paper, spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 425 until they are crispy and lightly golden. the cooking spray is to help them crisp up. If you prefer other oils, go for it. My brother is a fan of bacon grease. If you have some, go for it. Sadly I did not take a picture of the baked one...next time...

If you are not going to cook them yet, roll them up and put them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer until they are solid. Transfer them to a plastic bag and you are good to go! When you are craving one, put them on a sheet, spray and sprinkle and bake! They might need a bit more time to bake but they are still delish!

Original post at http://www.handletheheat.com/2011/10/homemade-kitchen-creamy-chicken.html