Crock Pot Beef Fajitas

2 pounds beef round steak
2 packets fajita seasoning mix
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 green bell peppers, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 cup water

1. Rinse steaks with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides of steaks with 1 packet of fajita seasoning. Slice into strips; set aside.
2. Add vegetables to a slow cooker. Toss with remaining packet of fajita seasoning. Add steak strips on top of vegetables. Pour in water. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Serve hot with peppers, warm tortillas, refried beans, and shredded cheese, if desired.

Jiffy Corn-Cupcakes

1 box of Jiffy corn bread mix
1 1/2 c. white cake mix
2/3 c. milk (can do skim)
2 eggs

Mix all. Bake in greased muffin tin at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

I got this recipe from Emily and they are great. You take one bite and say, "Yum. Cornbread." You take another bite and say, "Yum. Cupcake." They go well with this white chicken chili.

Mexican Chicken Bake

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (20 ounce) jar salsa
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black olives
1 can pinto beans (optional)
green onions (garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange the chicken pieces in a 3 quart casserole dish or a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Combine the salsa, red bell pepper, cumin, lemon juice, chili powder and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Pour the black beans on top and cover.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve with rice if desired.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

1 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 c. milk (can use fat-free)
1/3 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky but NOT natural)
1 egg
2 T. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. jam

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next four ingredients (through vanilla); add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup three-fourths full with batter. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

Notes from e: When I did this, I only filled the muffin cups half full, but when I pulled them out of the oven, the jelly had dripped through the bottoms of the muffins. It didn't come all the way out, but I did had to store them upside down. So I altered the recipe thinking if it has more to travel through, maybe it won't make it. But they tasted really good. The peanut butter flavor was pretty mild, but I think they're perfect in the morning before a run given the carbs and (albeit small amount of) protein.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 2

I made these today and aside from making the house smell WONDERFUL, they taste pretty good too!

1/2 C shortening
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 C pumpkin
1 C nuts- or not
1 C chocolate chips
1 t vanilla

3 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

Combine all wet ingredients, then add dry. Grease cookie sheet, bake at 365 for approx. 10 minutes. Makes 4 dozen.

Mexican Casserole

This can be made as directed and placed in two 8x8 pans. Cook one and freeze one (before baking) for later! The kids love the surprise of cornbread (baked under the chili) when we dish this up on their plates.

1 pound ground beef (I use ground turkey)
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
½ tsp. each cumin and chili powder
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can Ranch style beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 small can tomato sauce

Cook and stir ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat. Drain. Add salt, cumin, tomatoes, beans, and all tomato products. Heat to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Heat oven to 400. Spray 9x13 pan with PAM.

Mix:
1 ¼ cups bisquick
¾ cups cornmeal
2/3 cup milk
2 T sugar
2 T shortening
1 egg

Spread into pan and spoon beef mixture over batter. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. We enjoy this topped with sour cream and corn on the side.

Caramel Brownies

There are several versions of this recipe. We got outstanding results tonight with this one.

14 oz caramel candy
2/3 c. evaporated milk, divided
1 German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Melt caramels and 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk over very low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Combine cake mix, melted butter, the remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk, vanilla and nuts. Mix well and spread 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350° F for 8 minutes.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the partially cooked brownies. Pour the melted caramel mixture over the top and with a teaspoon drop the remaining 1/2 of the batter evenly over the top.
Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes. Let brownies cool in pan then cut into bars.

Chicken Licken

6-8 chicken legs, thighs or breasts
3 T butter
3 tomatoes, skinned and coarsely chopped OR one 16 oz can tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms OR one 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t paprika
1 t salt
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 c heavy cream, warmed (we subbed evaporated milk)
1 lb cooked spaghetti

Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. In hot skillet melt butter and brown chicken quickly on both sides. Place chicken in slow cooker. Stir together remaining ingredients except cream and spaghetti; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on High 4-5 hours, or on Low for twice as long. Just before serving, stir in cream. Serve over hot spaghetti.

Notes: If you use the fresh tomatoes rather than the canned, you might add more salt. Canned mushrooms make me retch, so I'm all in favor of fresh. Some people dislike mushrooms, and they could be omitted. Garlic is one of those things for which a lot is good and more is better. I added 4 cloves and it wasn't at all overpowering. The garnish is marjoram.

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Not the prettiest picture, but you get the idea:) The ginger sauce was quite tasty.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I did not use this)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into strips
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1-2 cups carrots, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2/3 cup cashews (I added more because I love them)
3 cups white rice made

DIRECTIONS
Dissolve the cornstarch in the chicken broth, and stir in the soy sauce, ginger, and hot sauce; set aside. Heat half of the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the chicken; cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the wok, and set aside.
Pour the remaining tablespoon of oil into the wok, and stir in the broccoli, carrots, and water chestnuts. Cook and stir until the chestnuts are hot, and the veggies have softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir up the sauce to redistribute the cornstarch, then pour into the wok, and bring to a boil. Add the reserved chicken, and stir until the sauce thickens, and the chicken is hot. Sprinkle with cashews to serve. I also added my white rice to the mix to get the sauce in it.

Apple Brittle Dip

8 ounces cream cheese
1 package toffee bits
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar

1. Using an electric mixer mix the cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla. Mix well until smooth. Then fold in the toffee bits.
2. Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving.
3. Serve as a dip with apple slices.

Note: I have not tried this recipe with lite cream cheese. If anyone happens to try it I would be interested in knowing how it turns out.

Zucchini Corn Chowder

2 zucchini
1 onion
2 tbs minced fresh parsley
1 tsp died basil
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3 cups water
3 chicken boullion cubes
1 tsp lemon juice
1 (14 oz) can diced tomoatoes
1 can evaporated milk
1 pkg frozen corn

1. Sauté the first five ingredients with a little oil until the zucchini are golden brown. Then transfer the mixture to a large pot.
2. Add the flour, salt, pepper and stir the mixture together.
3. Then add the water, bullion, lemon juice and stir again.
4. Next add the diced tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn and stir once more.
5. Bring it all to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Finally add:
¼ cup grated parmeasean cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar chesse
pinch of sugar.

6. Stir in the last three ingredients until the cheese is just melted and serve.

Fish Tacos

One day I ordered these at a restaurant, and wondered why, but now I order them whenever I see them on the menu. I LOVE them. Try these, it's a favorite I've found, and almost would rather make and eat than go out!!!!!!

4 C very thinly sliced green cabbage
1 C chopped plum tomatoes
1/3 C green onion sliced
1/4 C cilantro chopped
2 T lime juice (fresh is best)
5 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1 lb. Tilapia fillets or white fish of your choice
1 t chili powder
8 corn tortillas

Combine cabbage, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add lime juice, 3 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt, toss well to combine. Heat remaining 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with chili powder and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Add fish to pan, cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily. Remove from heat and cut fish into bite size pieces. Warm tortillas. Spoon about 1/4 c cabbage mixture down the center of each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; fold in half. Serve tacos with remaining cabbage mixture. Makes about 4 servings. (2 tacos each)

Chopped Salad

2 heads Romaine lettuce
2 small cucumbers
Granny Smith apples
2 Roma tomatoes
2 avocados
3-4 green onions
4-5 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 barbeque chicken breasts or breasts from a rotisserie chicken
Feta or blue cheese

Chop all ingredients FINE, so the flavors can MIX.

Dressing:
1 pkg. Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 C. Briannas Poppy Seed dressing

Make dressing as directed. Can use rice vinegar and olive oil. Mix together, put on salad, Wala!!!!!!!

I found this recipe in my mom's new quilting cook book, I LOVE avocados, Granny Smiths, and Feta, so I thought I'd try it out. ENJOY.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

3 T butter
3 T olive oil
1 med onion chopped
1 med carrot chopped
2 16 oz cans of chopped tomatoes
2 C broth
1/2 C wild rice (Zatarans (red box) works best)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch sugar
2 T fresh basil
4 C heavy cream

Heat butter and olive oil. Cook onions and carrot,Add everything else except cream. Simmer for 1 hour. Add more broth as needed, Remove from heat, add cream.


I had this the other night at a party, SO YUMMY. I can't wait to try it out myself, but now maybe one of you will try it FIRST. It was served with warm rolls, soup is a little heavy, you may want to add more broth and less cream, but I'm all about the cream!!!! :)

Guava Punch

I hosted a baby shower this weekend and made lots of yummy treats. I don't have pictures of all, but the recipes are coming!

A HUGE hit was this Guava Punch yum! For our shower the baby expected was a girl. I added a few drops of red food coloring to make it pink. You could add blue for a boy, green for St. Patricks day....This is yummy-licious!

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (can use lowfat)
4 cans guava juice/nectar
1 cup pineapple juice
2 T lime juice

Combine above ingredients well. When ready to serve add 4 cups of club soda and ice.
This makes enough to fill a large punch bowl.

Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

1 1/2 C of Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 bananas
3/4 C of sugar
1 beaten egg
1/3 C oil
Topping:
1/3 C brown sugar
2 Tbs. flour
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. flour

Combine flour, soda, powder, salt, together. In another bowl combine bananas, sugar, beaten egg and oil. Combine two mixtures together until all ingredients are moistened. Spoon into muffin cups.

Topping: Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter. Sprinkle to the tops of muffins.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Amazingly MOIST TASTY muffins!

Baguettes

1 c. water
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. yeast
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 t. salt
1 egg yolk
1 T. water

Place 1 c. water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your mixer; stir. Let proof for about ten minutes.

Add salt and flour, half-cup at a time. Let knead for about 10 minutes. Now the recipe must diverge:

For regular yeast users: Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8x12" rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at a 12" side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place on greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every two inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover and let rise in warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

For instant yeast users: Take dough from bowl and shape as directed above (rolling, creating two loves, etc.). Let rise until double in size.

All together now: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix egg yolk with 1 T. water; brush over tops of loaves. When putting the loaves into the oven, mist the oven with a couple of squirts of a spray bottle. This will help crustify the crust. You can do this throughout the baking cycle. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Frozen Lemon Cake

1 box lemon cake mix
1 16-ounce tub of CoolWhip (lite, fat-free, or regular)
3 6-ounce lemon yogurts

Prepare lemon cake mix as directed on box. (I used the lower-fat version with the applesauce in place of oil.) Bake in two 8- or 9-inch rounds. Let cool. When cooled, cut each cake in half so that you have four skinny, round layers. Put them in the freezer for about 1-2 hours.

Fold the yogurts into the CoolWhip and use as icing for the cakes. After iced, put back in the freezer and chill overnight.

Remove from freezer about 15 minutes to allow the cake to thaw slightly so you can slice it.

Note: Obviously the sky's the limit with the permutations for this cake. I happened to like lemon so that's why I did this, but I'm sure you can find a bunch of other combinations that would be equally awesome.

As inspired from this.

Pumpkin Squares

Cake
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

1. Mix the first four ingredients until fluffy. Then stir in the dry ingredients.
2. Bake on an ungreased 10x15x1 cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
3. Cool to room temperature.

Frosting
3 oz cream cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Let cream cheese and butter soften.
2. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
3. Frost pumpkin squares after they have cooled to room temperature.

Curried Couscous

Couscous and Peach/Apricot Glaze

This is a big favorite of mine. There are so many flavors and it is a pretty dish as well.

1 1/2 Cups Couscous
1 1/2 Cups boiling water
1/4 Cup plain yogurt
1/4 Cup olive oil
1 tsp. white wine vinegar - any vinegar will do
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 Cup grated carrots
1/2 Cup minced fresh-flat leaf parsley
1/2 Cup dried craisins
1/4 Cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 Cup diced red onion (go easy on this, it can be very strong)

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water over the top and cover tightly with saran wrap for 5+ minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions; mix well and taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

* Courtesy the Barefoot Contessa

Spicy Peach/Apricot Glaze

This is a favorite in our house. Everyone I've served it to loves it. You can make it ahead of time and it will keep for several days in the fridge. I usually double it to use a few nights in a row. Enjoy!!

1 Cup peach/apricot preserves or jam
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Combine all above ingredients in a medium size bowl. Serve over BBQ chicken.
*I usually put the glaze on after the chicken in cooked. It doesn't really stay on if you put it on while the chickens on the grill. I also put it on chicken I bake in the oven.
*Picture is with the couscous recipe.
*Courtesy Martha Stewart

Cranberry Oat Cereal Bars

3 T. butter
1 bag (10 ounces) marshmallows
6 c. Cheerios
1 c. dried cranberries, or raisins

Spray a 10x15" rimmed baking sheet (like a jelly roll pan) with cooking spray. Set aside.

Measure the cereal and cranberries and put into a large bowl.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows; cook, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows have melted, about five minutes. Remove from heat, and immediately pour on top of cereal/cranberries.

Transfer mixture to prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula (or your fingers) coated with cooking spray, press quickly and firmly. Let cool for about one hour. Cut into 24 bars. Store in airtight container.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups half-and-half cream or evaporated milk
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tomato, chopped
fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

1. In a sauté pan, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer chicken mixture to a large saucepan.
2. Dissolve the bouillon in hot water; Pour into the saucepan, and season with cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in cream, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomato. Garnish with cilantro.

Tag - Megan's IT

So I was lucky enough to spend some days with Megan this past weekend. And also lucky enough to eat some of her yummy foods. So I am requesting (i.e, making) Megan post her yummy apricot chicken recipe and her yummy couscous recipe. Do it soon, Megs! Thanks.

Fortune Cookies

I made these on Saturday and they were soooo easy! I found the recipe online. They are easy, taste yummy and were way too much fun!

Just one tip: be patient and let them brown in the oven so they are crispy after they cool. If you remove them too soon, they may still be a little soft in the center. I think mine are too light--make sure yours are a little more golden than these. I used my seasoned stoneware so I didn't grease my pan, and made 5 at a time.

This recipe made about 15 fortune cookies.

2 large egg whites

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

3 T vegetable oil

8 T all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

8 T granulated sugar

3 tsp. water

Prep:

Write fortunes on pieces of paper that are 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. (I printed mine on the computer) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 2 9x13 baking sheets.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla extract, almond extract and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl. Stir the water into the flour mixture.

Add the flour to the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a wooden spoon. Note: if you want to dye the fortune cookies, add the food coloring at this point, stirring it into the batter. 1/2 tsp. food coloring is a good amount.

Place level tablespoons (I used the actual measuring spoon) onto the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth and from side to side so that each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 3-4 inches in diameter.

Bake until the outer 1/2 inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (14-15 minutes) I used a metal spatula.

Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass. Place the finished cookies in the cup of muffin tins so that it keeps it shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.

You could chocolate dip these, or do other dang fun stuff with them for your kids/friends/husband/family for any occasion! So much fun--and sooo easy!

Really Easy Spanish Rice

2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chunky salsa

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed.

*Alternatively--Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, take out and dump into rice cooker and let it do its magic. Enjoy with yummy enchiladas!

Red Enchiladas

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used one breast that was 16 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup sour cream (nonfat works fine)
2 cups cottage cheese (nonfat works fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper (I read this wrong and did 1 t., but it was fine)
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (I used the hot variety)
First, boil and then shred your chicken.

Then make the meat mixture. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the already-cooked chicken, onion, and green chiles and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions. (Which is probably add one cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes.)

Then make cheese mixture. In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Next assemble the enchiladas. Heat tortillas until soft (microwave for about 20-30 seconds). In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture, and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce, and remaining shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Notes from me: I used all the filling in the enchiladas. But because I filled them so much, I probably should have done 15 tortillas instead of 12. They easily would have fit in the pan. But they tasted great.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
2 c. zucchini, grated
1 c. walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Mix oil and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; blend in vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the first mixture; alternating with grated zucchini. Fold in chopped nuts. Pour into greased and floured 13x9 inch pan. Bake for 55 minutes.

E-notes: I got this recipe from my SIL, who said, "I feel all cakes should be chocolate and so added 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa to the dry stuff and enjoyed it immediately." I added the cocoa and loved it. Ben LOVES it. The kids loved it too. I topped mine with powdered sugar. I didn't add nuts because I didn't have any. I also did 1/2 c. oil and 1/2 c. applesauce.

Zucchini Casserole

Chilequiles
Family Fun

2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c. chopped onion
14 oz. can whole tomatoes
2 t. minced garlic
3/4 t. cumin
2-3 c. grated zucchini
9 corn tortillas
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350. Heat oil in pan and saute onions over med. heat for 3 min, until softened. Add garlic, zucchini, and salt 'n pepper and saute for another 5 min. Remove from heat. Tear the tortillas into bite-sized pieces. Place tomatoes and cumin in blender and puree. Spray an 8-inch casserole dish. Place 1/3 of the tortillas on bottom; next top with 1/3 of tomato mixture; next top with 1/3 of zucchini mixture; next top with 1/3 of cheese. Repeat 2 more times. Bake for 20-25 min., until bubbly.

Zucchini Cookies

Zookies
Family Fun

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
1 small zucchini, shredded
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. oatmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 c. shredded coconut
3/4 c. butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together and mix into wet mixture. Add zucchini, oatmeal, coconut, and butterscotch chips and mix. Drop by teaspoonful and bake for 12-14 min.