Treasure Box Tuesday 26

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Chocolate Pecan Zucchini Cake



This is the time of year for all things zucchini. I love it raw, baked, grilled, steamed....but I especially love it grated into this delicious cake.

Brown sugar pecan crumbles bake into a crackly topping that melts into a moist, tender cake. What a great way to enjoy your vegetables.



Chocolate Pecan Zucchini Cake  Printable Recipe

Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 and 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 and 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini (I left the skin on and used a large grater)

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13X9 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients and set aside.
2. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, oil, sugar, and eggs. Mix on low until light and smooth, about 4 minutes. Pour in buttermilk and vanilla and mix until completely combined.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
4. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Mix just until combined. Fold in zucchini. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Mine was done at 36 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Keep leftovers tightly covered.


Adapted from jamiecooksitup.net
Chocolate Pecan Zucchini Cake may have been taken to some of these fun parties.




Other posts you might enjoy-
Slow Cooker Baked Beans:


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Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie



The rich, old-fashioned flavor of this cheerful pie will remind you of summers at Grandma's.


Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie  Print Recipe

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked and cooled

3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch (or 1/3 cup flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks in a small bowl, slightly beaten (save the egg whites if you want to make meringue)
2 tablespoons butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 to 4 ripe bananas

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, scald the milk. In another large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch (or flour) and salt. Gradually stir in the scalded milk.


2. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook until thickened. Lower heat slightly, then cover and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.


3. Slowly pour a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly. When egg yolk mixture is thoroughly combined, pour it slowly back into the pan of hot milk, again stirring constantly. (This keeps the eggs from scrambling and getting lumpy).

4. Cook one minute longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Stir gently until butter is melted into the pudding. Let pudding cool in pan until lukewarm.


5. When custard is cool and ready to pour, slice bananas and layer evenly across bottom of pie crust. Pour the lukewarm custard over banana slices.


6. Top pie as desired with meringue or fresh whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers.


Luscious vanilla cream pudding poured over sweet, ripe bananas

Cook's notes: The directions in Step 1 say to scald the milk. Scalded milk is an important flavor and aroma element in old fashioned recipes. Scalding milk is bringing it just to the edge of a boil. The edges will bubble, and the milk will have steam rising off the top of it. 

In "How to Scald Milk", Holly Quinn notes, "Scalding milk is not necessary for health reasons as it was in the olden days, when it was done primarily to destroy bacteria. Today's modern pasteurization takes care of that. But scalded milk can make a slight difference in the taste and texture of baked items and custards--if you haven't quite been able to copy one of grandma's recipes exactly, scalded milk could be what's missing."




You may also enjoy Homemade Pie Crust:



Pie filling recipe from Dallas Morning News archives.

Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie may have been taken to some of these fun parties! 



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Sew Easy Tablecloth and Napkins


I wanted a new tablecloth for the small square table in my breakfast nook. I looked for a red checked one, but couldn't find exactly what I had in mind. In a fabric store one afternoon, I found a fabric I liked, and decided to make one. I'm glad I did- I got what I wanted, and very inexpensively. The fabric was on clearance. I got enough for the tablecloth and four napkins, all for about $6.00.

This makes a 42" square tablecloth and 15" napkins. All you do is cut out squares, press up hems, and sew straight lines. Easy! OR, you can make this project even easier by making it NO SEW- just press the hems using a heat-bond hemming tape product following the directions on the package. I've used that method with good results.

Treasure Box Tuesday 23

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Canon Rebel T3 Giveaway


Win a Canon Rebel T3 camera
PLUS:
an 18-55mm lens, 
a 16 GB SDHC card, 
and a camera bag!

Brought to you by:





This giveaway is open worldwide!



Good Luck! 

Oatmeal Scotchies


It's time to bake with the Fill The Cookie Jar group! This month's theme is Father's Day Favorites, and my dad has always loved butterscotch. Sweet and chewy, with rich butterscotch in every bite, these classic cookies will brighten your day.

Oatmeal Scotchies  Print Recipe
Makes 4 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 package (11 oz.) butterscotch flavored chips

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine, then add to butter mixture and mix well. Add oats and butterscotch morsels; mix well.

3. Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 7 to 8 minutes for a chewy cookie or 9 to 10 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.




Cookie recipe by Quaker Oats
Oatmeal Scotchies may have been taken to some of these
 fun parties! 



Last month, I filled the cookie jar with 
Busy Day Peanut Butter Cookies (Cake Mix):

If you'd like to bake with the Fill The Cookie Jar group, please contact our fearless leader, 

Cynthia at Feeding Big:




Treasure Box Tuesday 22

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Hot Dog Bread with Dipping Sauces

Hot Dog Bread is brought to you by Red Star Yeast, and I am happy to give you my honest opinion about it.

This is fun food. It bakes like an easy casserole, but eats like a hot dog. The flavorful yeast bread dough is slightly sweet and chewy, and bakes up and around the hot dogs. You get the delicious taste of homemade hot dog buns without as much fuss.

I knew the kids at our get-together would love it, but the grownups did, too. There weren't any leftovers.

For a yeast bread, it doesn't take long to do. Mix up the batter, let it rise once for about 30 minutes, then stir down. Smooth into a greased 13 X 9 pan and top with hot dogs:

Ready for the second rise

Let it rise a second time, then bake for about half an hour and enjoy. Get the full recipe and instructions at Red Star Yeast here.

Pass small bowls of your favorite dipping sauces and let the fun begin!



Here are a couple of sauces I made to go with our Hot Dog Bread:

1. Honey Mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Refrigerate leftovers, tightly covered.


2. Sweet-n-Spicy Honey Apricot
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
generous pinch adobo chile pepper or ground red pepper

In a small sauce pan, whisk cornstarch into chicken both until combined. Over medium-low heat, stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers, tightly covered.

Fun for the 4th of July

 Please visit Red Star Yeast for the complete recipe, detailed instructions, and handy baking tips.

Browse their huge collection of recipes

You can also visit Red Star Yeast on your favorite social media:

      



Hot Dog Bread may have been taken to some of these fun parties!

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