Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. vegetable oil
3 t. vanilla
2 c. white sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
2 c. shredded zucchini
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. baking soda
1 T. cinnamon
⅛ t. nutmeg
1 pint blueberries

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugars.  Beat in flour spices.  Fold in zucchini and berries.  Pour into greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for *1 hour for 2 large loaves - 50 minutes for 4 small loaves. Top with crumbly streusel topping for extra deliciousness.

Crumbly streusel topping:
⅔ c. flour
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar
1 t. cinnamon
½ c. chopped nuts
1 cube butter

*Note: I have now made this at extreme elevation changes and I'm here to tell you that effects the amount of time required to bake this bread. So it goes for at least an hour, but make sure to check with a toothpick just in case it needs to go longer! Like... WAY longer. Like 30 minutes longer or more. Trust me it was driving me a little crazy. Make sure to keep checking it.

Easy Bread Maker Rolls

These rolls are seriously SOOO good. We like to make them with half wheat flour and half white flour and they turn out so light and fluffy with such good flavor. If you prefer a white roll, these also make exceptional white rolls.

I also LOVE that the work is done with a bread maker!

Bread Maker Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
3 1/4 cups AP flour (OR  you can do what I did and add 1 1/2 cups wheat flour and 1 3/4 cups AP flour instead)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons regular active dry yeast 
                       OR
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast or quick-acting active dry yeast

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in bread pan in the order listed. Set your machine to the Dough Cycle and press START.
2. Heat oven to 375°. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough into 15 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Brush with butter. Cover; let rise for 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
3. Once risen, bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter if desired. 

Yummy Steak Fajitas

These fajitas are seriously so good, and SOO ridiculously easy. They don't have to be made with steak either, they can be thrown together with whatever meat you have in the house, but the steak happens to be my personal favorite.

Steak Fajitas

1 green bell peppers, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cups diced cooked steak (or any other type of meat that you have on hand!)

1 .7 oz package dry italian dressing mix

tomatoes, chopped

shredded cheese

tortillas

sour cream

Instructions:

Sauté peppers and onions in small amount of oil until tender. Add mushrooms and meat. Cook on low heat until heated through. Add dressing mix and stir it all together. Serve with chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and warm tortillas. 

Side note:

One of my favorite things about these fajitas is that they make even better leftovers! This recipe is perfect for my small family of two to have leftovers for a few days. 

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin

My friend Kara introduced me to pork tenderloin, and I am so glad she did!  If you have never cooked pork tenderloin, it is DELICIOUS!  And inexpensive.  And healthy!  I needed some fancy enough to serve to guests one Sunday, as well as something that didn't cost a lot, and she suggested pork tenderloin.  We have had it twice now, and it is so tender and flavorful it has become on of our favorite things to make.

Our Best Bites has several excellent recipes for pork tenderloin. Kara really loves the garlic-rosemary recipe they have. We tried the Honey-Orange, and it is awesome.  Click here to find the full recipe, complete with pictures and instructions.

Honey-Orange Pork Tenderloin
Recipe lightly adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients:
1/3 cup orange marmalade
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 1-pound(ish) pork tenderloin
Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the marmalade, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and honey. Reserve 2 tablespoons and set the sauce aside.
Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the tenderloin and cook for 1-2 minutes or until a golden brown crust starts to form. Flip the tenderloin over and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the entire tenderloin is golden brown. Remove from heat. Pour about 1/2 of the sauce over the pork. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the tenderloin over. Add the remaining sauce (not the reserved 2 tablespoons) and place the pan back into the oven. Cook for another 10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 155 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Drizzle with reserved sauce and cut into 1/2″ slices. Serve immediately with a salad or vegetables. 1 1-pound tenderloin serves 4.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

We had this for dinner last night.  DELICIOUS!  I love when yummy meals are this easy.

• 2 whole large Cloves Of Garlic Minced
• 2 Tbl Olive Oil
• 2 10 3/4 oz Cans of Condensed Tomato Soup
• 1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped or 2 Tbl Of Sun Dried Tomato Paste
• 2 cups Half-and-half
• 2 cups Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 Tbl Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
• 1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese, for garnish

Saute garlic with the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown.
Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too brown or burnt.

When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, half and half, chicken stock and spices.
Bring to a simmer.

Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup. Cook according to the package directions.
After tortellini are cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

My new favorite chocolate cake

This isn't much different from the chocolate cake recipe I used before, but I do like it even better and so it's my new go-to chocolate cake recipe.  I made it as a bundt cake for a dinner party with friends and also as a round layered birthday cake for Darla, and both times it turned out fabulous.  It's a very versatile, moist, yummy recipe!


Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake Mix (I prefer devil food cake, but any cake mix will do) 
• Chocolate Instant Pudding, 3.9 oz size 
• 4 eggs 
• 1 cup sour cream 
• ¾ cup water 
• ¾ cup oil 
• 1/2 bag chocolate chips (I prefer mini chips) 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients well and pour batter into a well-greased and floured pan. Bake on middle rack for 40-50 minutes. Remove from oven when a toothpick comes out clean.

IF MAKING A BUNDT CAKE: Let cake cool completely in pan. Take a small slender spatula and loosen cake around the outside & inside edges. Tip upside down onto platter.  Whip up the icing for the top of the bundt while it's cooling:

Bundt Chocolate Icing

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together the ingredients. Stir forever, until it’s smooth and thick. If it’s not runny enough, add a bit of warm water or more melted butter until it’s at the consistency you like.  You want it runny, because when the cake is cool you just drizzle this all over the top for some more chocolate deliciousness. 

Maple Drizzled Apple-Cinnamon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Oh, these sandwiches are heaven.  I found these on the OurBestBites website this afternoon while trying to think of what to make for dinner.  We made them tonight for a quick and easy dinner, and the blend of different flavors was amazing.  I love when food is easy AND delicious!!



Photo from OurBestBites.com

Measurements are approximate. These are sandwiches- don’t overthink it!

Ingredients

• 4 slices rustic sandwich bread 
• 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese (or enough to cover all the slices) 
• 1-2 sweet, crisp apples 
• ground cinnamon 
• kosher or sea salt 
• 3-4 tablespoons real butter 
• 100% real maple syrup 

Instructions

Butter each slice of bread and place slices butter-side down on a cutting board. Place cheese on each slice of bread. Core apples and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Place apple slices on 4 slices of bread and lightly sprinkle them with ground cinnamon and salt. Put sandwich halves together and grill in a hot skillet, or on a Panini grill, or broiled in the oven, flipping sandwiches and cooking until each side is golden brown and cheese is melted. Drizzle with maple syrup, or serve on the side for dipping. Makes 4 sandwiches.

This would also be delicious for breakfast, lunch, snacktime, whatever!   :)