Zucchini the size of my arm .. We Make Bread!

Cole's best friend's mom brought me over a zucchini the size of my arm to make treats with. It was so large I was able to make 3 different treats to share!

The first recipe I started with was a bread, I found a recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction for Award Winning Zucchini Bread. I stuck to my diet and didn't eat any but I heard it was tasty. I love it had a crumble topping, which is my favorite thing on bread!  Enjoy!!

The best that started it all!

Ingredients:

BROWN SUGAR OAT STREUSEL

• 2/3 cups old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold
• optional: 1 Tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips

ZUCCHINI BREAD & MUFFINS

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 large)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• optional: 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use pecans or walnuts)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x5 (or 8x4) loaf pan with nonstick spray. If making muffins, preheat oven to 425F degrees and spray a 12-count pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Make the streusel first by combining the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with two knives or a pasty cutter (preferred) - or you may use your hands. Mix until the streusel resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the beaten egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla until evenly combined. In a large bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate chips together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing.
4. Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for 20 minutes at 350F degrees. Remove from the oven and top with the streusel - press it down into the top. The reason you are adding it after 20 minutes is to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the bread as it bakes. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I covered the bread loosely with aluminum foil after 35 total minutes to avoid the top from getting too brown. Allow bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan and serving.

What all was made from the ONE Zucchini!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Easter Treat ... Easter Bunny Bread (Made with Basic Bread Machine White Bread)

Next on our Easter list to make was a fun treat to take to the annual 1,000 Egg Egg Hunt my friend host.  I showed you the Bunny Nutter Butter Cookies last week I made for the party.  I saw this Easter Bunny Bread on Pinterest and I knew I had to give it a whirl.  Their's was super cute and I must say I was pretty happy with the one I created.  I must say I can bust out cookies or cakes, NOW molding a bread into a shape was a WHOLE new ballgame for me.

The recipe on Taste of Home called for Frozen Bread.  I decided that I rather make a homemade bread.  I found a Basic Bread Machine White Bread that I MUST say is the BEST bread I have ever made! 

What You Need:

1-POUND LOAF    INGREDIENTS2/3 cup                       water
4 teaspoons                sugar
3/4 teaspoon              salt
4 teaspoons                nonfat dry milk powder
4 teaspoons                butter OR margarine
2 cups                          bread flour
1-1/2 teaspoons         Bread Machine Yeast OR RapidRise Yeast
Directions
Add ingredients to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. 

For the Bunny Bread I started with homemade bread, BUT you can use frozen if you would like.  If you want a great bread machine bread follow recipe above and just set for dough setting.  I doubled the recipe, since I was just doing the dough I knew my machine could handle the 2 lbs.  NOW if you're baking my would only handle 1 1/2 lbs.

What you Need for the Bunny:

Ingredients

• 2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
• 2 raisins
• 2 sliced almonds
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Dip of your choice

Directions

• Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form
• head. For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7-in. x 6-in. oval;
• place on a greased baking sheet. Place head above body. Make narrow
• cuts, about 3/4 in. deep, on each side of head for whiskers.
• Cut second loaf into four equal portions. For ears, shape two
• portions into 16-in. ropes; fold ropes in half. Arrange ears with
• open ends touching head. Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape
• each into a 3-1/2-in. oval for back paws. Cut two 1-in. slits on top
• edge for toes. Position on each side of body.
• Divide the fourth portion of dough into three pieces. Shape two
• pieces into 2-1/2-in. balls for front paws; shape the remaining
• piece into two 1-in. balls for cheeks and one 1/2-in. ball for nose.
• Place paws on each side of body; cut two 1-in. slits for toes. Place
• cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almonds for teeth.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45
• minutes. Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes

For the Dip I just made a quick Ranch Dip.  I had a small dish that I cut a hole int he bunnies belly and placed it in there and added the Ranch dip inside.  I cut up celery and had mini carrots that I placed around the bunny.

Any Easter Parties or Plans?

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Sinfully Yummy Blueberry Bread Pudding

My parents have around 8 to 10 blueberry bushes at their house, so we usually are loaded with them.  Since my new diet does not allow fruit of any kind I had a freezer space shortage and needed to make something with them.  Then my mom sent me home some french bread (another no no on my diet) so I thought what better to do then a bread pudding.  We had our every other week dinner guest come over (that is the only time I make a dessert).

I found a Over the Top Blueberry Bread Pudding recipe that I tweaked a little bit, one due to time and the other part being lazy after work (hey I'm at least honest about it).

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 package (10 to 12 ounces) white baking chips
• 1 loaf (1 pound) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 package (10 to 12 ounces) white baking chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla. Stir in blueberries and baking chips. Stir in bread cubes; let stand for 15 minutes or until bread is softened.  Add the white baking chips and carefully stir them in (don't over stir or you'll have mush).
• Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

If you want you can make the sauce (instead of using the baking chips in the bread pudding you use it to cover the bread pudding). 

If you want here is the sauce recipe:

• SAUCE:
• 1 package (10 to 12 ounces) white baking chips
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

For sauce, place baking chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over baking chips; whisk until smooth. Serve with bread pudding.

I liked adding it into the bread pudding to give you a little extra goo :).  NOW I didn't eat any of it but by the empty plates that returned I would say it was a huge hit!

Enjoy!!

Tuesday’s Friends–Chicken Parm Subs with handmade bun

The other week I made a really good sandwich for our friends.  Of course I came across our meal idea on Pinterest.  This Chicken Parmesan Sub was found on one of my favorite sites Eating Well.  I search Pinterest for their recipes all the time since they are low fat and family pleasing.

The recipe called for whole wheat sandwich rolls, but you know me I rather make my own when I can.  So I found this bread machine roll recipe on all recipes which is another good source.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour (I used whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dry milk powder
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Place the bread flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, water, butter, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set on Dough cycle; press Start.
2. Remove risen dough from the machine, deflate, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces, and form into rounds. Place the rounds on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a small bowl, mix together the egg white and 2 tablespoons water; brush lightly onto the rolls. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Then on to the chicken and making of the subs.  This was pretty easy and man they sure would yummy!

Chicken Parmesan Sub

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts), (2 large breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts)
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 6-ounce bags baby spinach
• 1 cup marinara sauce, preferably low-sodium (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 4 soft whole-wheat sandwich rolls, toasted

PREPARATION

1. Position oven rack in top position; preheat broiler.
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place chicken between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan until the chicken is an even 1/4-inch thickness. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
4. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add half the chicken and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and chicken; transfer to the baking sheet.
5. Top each piece of chicken with the wilted spinach, marinara sauce and Parmesan. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve on rolls.

(I just baked my chicken then added the spinach and cheese in the oven, I’m about the easy version.  So I skipped the putting the chicken in the pan on the stove top).

So there you have it an easy meal and something new then just the regular chicken dinner!  Happy Monday have a great day!

Tuesday Dinner Friends Spaghetti Feed!

Another yummy meal that was a hit with all this week.  Our normal Tuesday night guest was not feeling well but my other friend was planning to come.  I made a double batch earlier in the morning so we had plenty to send home with our new guest and left overs for the next day. 

Of course I found some amazing recipes of Pinterest first off on my list was Old-Fashioned Spaghetti & Meatballs.  I’ve never cooked with bulgar wheat before so I picked it up in the bulk section and made it.  They turned out fabulous and easy to make.

I then found this amazing light bread that was easy to make with what I had on hand.  This Lighter Cheesy Garlic Bread was a no yeast bread that I mixed up and threw in the oven and served hot and yummy!

Dinner is served!

I made a yummy dessert then I remembered our guest doesn’t eat dessert. I know who doesn’t eat dessert, a smart person that is … Hmmm maybe I should have ate her and my helping … lol.  This Baked Apple Streusel was simple to make and I add a dolop of non fat whipped cream.

So there you have it another Tuesday Dinner meal .  On our menu tonight will be Crock-Pot Creamy Chicken Soup.

Tuesday Dinner Twist on Spaghetti & Apple Pie

We had our Tuesday dinner friend come over tonight and I found some yummy things to try (yes on Pinterest).  I wanted to try this braided bread but the dough it called for I couldn’t find so I made my own!  I found this Italian Parmesan Bread for Bread Machine that smelled so yummy and made the recipe pop!  I put it on the dough cycle and let it do the work for me!

The recipe I needed the bread for was this Braided Spaghetti Bread that was so YUMMY!  I made a few tweaks the bread I made (was half white & half whole wheat flour), I added low fat chicken sausage and used whole wheat noodles.

Last on my list was a yummy dessert that was lower in points and so delish!  Apple Dumplings with Orange Sauce for you weight watcher people this is 5 points.  Enjoy a sweet treat, you deserve it!

Happy Wednesday!  Hope you have a fab day!

Feeding the Troops

For Christmas I used my bonus to buy Rick a new garage door with an opener.  Tonight he had some buddies come over to help him install and my Tuesday night dinner friend came over tonight instead of last night so I switched my meal plan up at the last minute.  I was pretty darn excited with what I came up with.

First off I saw this on my new obsession Pinterest and found a recipe for Cheesy Artichoke Bread.

Then I saw this Scooters Spaghetti that looked easy to do and how can I go wrong with friend onions on top?

And I had a bag of cranberries that I had to use up so my friend Google lead me to Apple-Cranberry crisp.

In a way I can’t wait for next week then I might be back on track.  For now some more recipes .  Hope you might enjoy one of them!

Anything special on your menu tonight?

Reworking Left Over Brisket w/Fresh Bread

Tuesday’s at our house is a fun time since we have company every Tuesday.  The boys have a friend to play with and a have an adult to talk to and bounce my crazy life and idea’s off of.  I like to find something new to make each time they come over.  I think we’ve never had the same recipe yet!

My dad loves to smoke meat, my favorite is the brisket he does.  My parents had a party at their house the other weekend he made an extra brisket for me to take home.  I like finding new ways to incorporate it into things.  I found this Leftover Brisket Ragu by Rachael Ray. I didn’t have the right type of noodles so I used whole wheat shell pasta.

I of course had to make some bread to go along with it.  I found this Onion Garlic Cheese Bread on All recipes.  I started the dough in the bread machine and then finished it up in the oven.  I baked mine a little too long since the top cheese got a little too dark, but it was still soft and yummy in the middle!

Happy Monday everyone, lot’s to do today I think I’m trying to swim to the top . So what is on your menu tonight?

Not your typical Burger or Brownie

More fun times here .  I made some great meals and happy that everyone like them!

First off, Rick’s fav meal is Chicken parm so when I came across a meal for it in a new way and lighter version I’m on it.  First I had to make the rolls for it to go.  Bread Machine Ciabatta Roll Recipe is where I start!

Then here comes the best part of this recipe is the burger part but NOT your regular recipe.  From my favorite site of course SkinnyTaste.com is Chicken Parmigiana Burger (now I only had chicken breast on hand so I used that instead of chicken patties).

We had a playdate/dinner at the cousin’s house so I whipped up some Cheesecake Topped Brownies.  Now I had the brillant idea to bake them up at the cousins house since I was running late.  That meant that I lost a HUGE amount on the carpet of my floor.  It wasn’t pretty but it did taste good … LOL.  YES I didn’t scoop up the spillage and put it back in I just had to wash my car out when I got home.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Carb Overload day (2 Breads & 2 Dog Treats)

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Hope you all have a fabulous day and find a yummy recipe for yourself and maybe even that favorite 4 legged friend in your life. (Remember to click the recipe tab to see what you need to make them).

I found this great recipe for Olive Parmesan Bread on Eat Better America. I thought it was great the boys not so much, but hey I'm the one that counts (Rick isn't a bread person).

And the bread winner with the boys was the Whole Wheat Bread Recipe I found on Finding Joy in my Kitchen. It is very yummy, I let the bread machine do the dough kneading and then put it in the oven.

I found these dog treats on All recipes "Delicious Dog Treats" tweaked it a little and here is what we got.

And another recipe from my girl at Doggy Dessert Chef for Fortune Cookie Dog Treats. Jake enjoyed these ones.

I'm linking up to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Hearth and Soul and Thursday Recipe Swap Meet.