Blueberry and Zucchini Bread

There are many reasons why any given recipe catches my attention enough for me to decide to give it a try. Sometimes the recipe includes my favorite ingredients. Others simply use techniques or ingredients that I have wanted to attempt to use. And then there are the recipes that include one or more (more is preferable) items I received in my produce share and sound tasty. This recipe is one of those latter recipes.

It’s summertime and that means that zucchini and yellow squash are a plenty, and the last 3 produce shares have certainly reflected that reality. I have heard from my friends who have gardens in their backyards that zucchini plants are often so fruitful that you quickly run out of ways to prepare them that don’t get tiresome. I haven’t reached that point yet, but I am certainly trying to get creative with how I use them anyways.

The most recent produce share also included a pint of ripe, Texas blueberries. Now, while I do love the taste of blueberries, I’m not one that enjoys them raw. Rather I tend to prefer them baked in muffins, pancakes or cobblers. So needless to say when I saw this recipe that would use not only some of the zucchini I had in stock but also the blueberries I was sold. I had to try it.

The results are interesting. The bread is certainly sweeter than the typical zucchini bread which is a result of the blueberries. Additionally, it’s denser than your average blueberry muffin as well. Ultimately, the more bites you take, the more compelled you are to take another and, in the end, the taste is conclusively delicious.

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Blueberry and Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (I think next time I’ll reduce it to 1/2 cup)

1 large egg plus 1 egg white

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup shredded zucchini (about 1.5 med zucchinis)

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 pint of blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, 

sugar, 

brown sugar, 

egg and vanilla.

Stir to fully combine. 

Stir in zucchini and mix well. 

In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, 

baking soda, 

baking powder, 

salt and cinnamon. 

Stir to combine.

Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and gently fold them in until just barely combined (don’t over mix). 

Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan or muffin tins. 

Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean, about 30  minutes for muffins or an hour for a loaf. Remove from oven and let cool in pans for about 15 minutes 

then place on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Source: All Things Catered (unfortunately this blog appears to no longer exist)

Penne, Spinach, and Chicken Salad with Lemon Dressing: Dinner for One

Bunker travels for work about 3 nights a week, therefore, I have quite a few nights alone for dinner. Often times I just eat cereal or a sandwich, but that is not being very nice to myself. Just because I am eating dinner for one does not mean that I should not treat myself to a delicious, and nutrient rich dinner.

This dinner salad was inspired by my favorite salad at Cafe Express. I actually think this version is a bit tastier, and far easier than getting in the car and driving across town for a salad. The combination of the pasta, potatoes, chicken and croutons make this salad a full and satisfying meal. I don't know about you, but a salad with just veggies just will not fill me up enough to be considered a full meal.

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Ingredients for Salad:
1 Cooked Chicken Breast, cut into cubed pieces
1 cup of spinach
1/2 cup of cooked and cubed new potatoes (I put mine in the microwave for about 2 minutes)
1/2 cup of lightly cooked broccoli (I put mine in the microwave for about 1 minute)
1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup of carrots, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup of croutons

Ingredients for Lemon Dressing:
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon of Honey Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:
1. In a large bowl prepare the salad: combine the cooked chicken, spinach, cooked potatoes, cooked broccoli, tomatoes, carrots and croutons.

2. In a smaller bowl prepare the dressing: combine the lemon juice, water, olive oil, honey, Honey Dijon mustard, 2 minced garlic cloves, and salt and pepper.

3. Pour about half of the dressing over the salad.

4. Enjoy by yourself and feel good about giving yourself a yummy dinner that is good for your body and soul!(You can always double the recipe to serve more than one!)

Cort  looking towards the front door, waiting for Shafer to come home from her surgery. Cort really missed her buddy all day :(

Shafer recovering from surgery...she has slept most of the past 2 days, but is recovering nicely. Shafer was spayed, not a big surgery but scary for her mom non-the-less...just happy to have her home!

Toasties

Toasties, basically European grilled sandwiches, are incredibly simple, versatile and satisfying. A few summers ago, Bunker and I backpacked through Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary. As I have stated before, I am a picky eater...and the further east we traveled...the more difficult it was to find easily identifiable foods!

View of Zell am See from the other side of the lake, a village perfectly tucked in among the mountains and heavy clouds.

Another picture from Zell am See during our hike.

One day in Zell am See, Austria (one of the most beautiful places in the world) after a long hike we stumbled upon an adorable little restaurant with a sweet little eating area overlooking the lake. The people next to us ordered "toasties" and we asked what those were...and I was just so happy to hear the description...basically a grilled cheese sandwich with ham! Yum! So, from that meal onward, I ordered toasties, and I was always pleased with each one. What was the most fun was how the format of the toasties stayed the same country to country, and yet even the slightest variation (different breads, cheeses, meats, spreads, accompaniments and environments) changed the whole experience.

 Restaurant where I ate my first toasty!

Dinner in Zell am See with our dear friend Eric who moved to Austria and met his beautiful bride Ilse!

Without further ado...here is our version of a delicious toasty!

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Ingredients:
Hearty bread, sliced in to 4 thick sandwich slices
4 slices of honey ham
2 slices of smoke Gouda cheese
1 tablespoon of Durkee's Sauce (this is Bunker's favorite spread, kind of a mix between mayonnaise and mustard)

Steps:
1. Heat a heavy skillet to medium high heat and coat with a small amount of olive oil or butter. Collect all of your ingredients while you wait for the pan to fully heat.

2. Place 2 of the pieces of sliced bread onto the skillet with the sliced cheese on top.

3. Heat the ham in another smaller skillet so that it browns slightly.

4. Place the heated ham on top of the cheese. The heated ham will aid in the melting of the cheese.

5. Spread the other two slices of bread with Durkee's Sauce.

6. Place the bread on top of the rest of the sandwiches.

7. Press down.

8. Flip the sandwiches over after about 5 minutes (from the time of putting the initial slices of bread and cheese onto the skillet), making sure that the bread has browned but not burned.

9. Cook for another 5 minutes, again, check to make sure the bread is browning, but not burning!
10. Remove and enjoy this fun and easy treat! Try out your own combinations of your favorite cheeses, meats, breads, and spreads!

Shafer loves to cuddle!

Gorgonzola Dates

Gorgonzola dates are one of my favorite go to appetizers for dinner parties, both those hosted in my home and those at friends houses. There are many reasons to love this appetizer: it's simple, transportable and so delicious. The dates have a sweetness about them that pairs perfectly with the strong flavor produced by the gorgonzola and the saltiness of the bacon. The combination is both delicious and completely addicting so do yourself a favor and reserve this for evenings when you can share it with friends, otherwise you may end up eating the whole plate yourself!

Please forgive the lack of step by step photos in this post. I completely forgot to take photos while I was making this and the result was too good not to share anyways!

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Gorgonzola Dates


Ingredients
Medjool dates
Applewood smoked bacon (1 slice per 3 dates)
Wedge of firm, aged gorgonzola cheese
2 medium lemons
White pepper
Kosher salt
1 stick of butter chilled, cut into 8 pieces
Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Cut slices of bacon into three even pieces and set aside.  With a small paring knife cut a slit length wise in each date and remove seed within.  Cut a small piece of gorgonzola from the cheese wedge and fill date with gorgonzola so that date is fully stuffed.    Take a piece of bacon and wrap around the stuffed date, securing with a toothpick.  Place date seam side down on a greased rimmed baking sheet.  Once you have all your dates stuffed and wrapped, bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is browned and slightly crispy.

While the dates are cooking in the oven squeeze the juice of 2 medium lemons into a small medium-bottomed saucepan.  Add a pinch of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper to the juice and boil until reduced to 1 tablespoon.  Remove from heat and immediately whisk in 2 pieces of butter until melted.  Place pan over very low heat and whisk in butter one piece at a time until all pieces are incorporated into a creamy sauce.  Remove from heat and set aside until dates are done cooking.

When dates are ready, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Cover the bottom of your serving plate with lemon butter sauce, it should have thickened some as it cooled and drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top of the sauce.  Place the dates on the sauce and serve.