Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Nobody needs two zucchini plants. I have heard the stories about endless, giant zucchini, yet in my first-year-gardener naiveté I planted two. I thought, “What if one doesn’t do well?” That would have been a blessing! So here I am, with countless opportunities to experiment and perfect my zucchini bread recipe. The current iteration is healthy and delicious.

Makes 1 loaf, plus 6 muffins
Active Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 ½ hours
Oven Temp: 350°F

Caramelized Carrot and Ginger Soup

It finally started raining here in Portland, so that means it’s time for more soup! Homemade soup is wonderfully tasty and so easy to make I’ll never go back to buying the high sodium canned variety. Roasting the soup ingredients adds time to the process but the flavor is worth the extra effort. The baguette in the photo is homemade as well, but it’s a really basic recipe and the bread machine did most of the work – maybe I’ll post it another day.

Serves 2
Active Time: 20 min, Total Time: 1 hour
Oven Temp: 425°F

1 lb carrots
½ medium onion
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
4 garlic cloves
1-in fresh ginger
½ tsp ground cumin
3 c vegetable or chicken broth

2 tbsp sour cream
fresh parsley for garnish

Grandma’s Banana Bread

Who says you can’t improve on a classic? I shared my grandmother’s recipe with a colleague who had a few suggestions to add some punch to the flavor and make it a bit healthier. The result – even tastier banana bread!

Makes 1 loaf
Active Time: 15 min, Total Time: 1 hour 15 min
Oven Temp: 350°F

½ c butter at room temp
½ c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk
3 large mashed bananas
2 c flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp nutmeg
½ c chopped nuts
½ c rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of a loaf pan.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and milk; beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in bananas. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into banana mixture. Fold in nuts and oats. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover with foil last 15 minutes if browning too quickly.

Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Corn Chowder with Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

Bacon makes everything taste better, but a veggie version would still make for a great meal. You could half the biscuit recipe, but who wouldn’t want leftover biscuits? I went all out and made my own broth from the remnants of a roast chicken. Super easy: simmer chicken bones in large pot of water with a few vegetables and herbs for about an hour; cool, strain out the solids and portion into freezer bags for convenient use at a later date!

Serves 2, Makes 8 Biscuits
Active Time: 40 min, Total Time: 55 min
Oven Temp: 450°F

4 bacon slices

For the Soup:

½ small onion
1 celery stick
2 garlic cloves
2 small red potatoes
2 tbsp flour
1 c chicken broth
1 c milk
14-oz can corn
1 tsp dried savory
ground black pepper
fresh parsley

For the Biscuits:

2 c flour
2 tbsp cornmeal
2 tsp baking power
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp dried savory
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp vegetable shortening
⅔ c buttermilk*
½ c shredded cheddar cheese

Homemade Veggie Pizza

I hear there are some good pizza places in Portland, but I have yet to try them. Why go out for pizza when it’s so easy to make at home and so much healthier? If I don’t have leftover homemade sauce on hand, I just use store bought and try not to look at the sodium content. So gather your favorite toppings and let’s make pizza! [Note: any meat toppings should be fully cooked before assembling pizza]

Serves 4 (1 lb dough, 14-inch pizza)
Prep Time: 10 min, Rising Time: 1½ hour, Cooking Time: 20 min

For the Pizza Dough:
Adapted from the Cuisinart Recipe Booklet

⅔ c lukewarm water
½ tsp honey or sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 c all-purpose flour*
¾ c semolina flour*
6 tbsp whole wheat flour*
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten**
1¼ tsp bread machine yeast

For the Toppings:

1 c homemade pasta sauce
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
½ tomato
½ small red onion
½ orange bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
oregano
red pepper flakes

Melt-in-your-mouth Dinner Rolls

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without turkey… or warm, fluffy rolls!  I bake these tasty rolls every year, and they are always a hit.  I have no problem taking home leftover rolls, if there are any.  The recipe uses a bread machine (possibly my favorite kitchen appliance), but I will do my best to give “by hand” instructions, albeit untested, or click here for a similar Betty Crocker recipe.

Makes 15 to 24 rolls
Prep Time: 20 min, Rise Time: 1.5 to 3 hrs, Bake Time: 15 min
Oven Temp: 375°F
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

1 c water*
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3¼ c flour
¼ c sugar
3 tsp bread machine yeast**
butter, melted, if desired

* Next time I plan to try milk or buttermilk
** 2¼ tsp bread machine yeast = 1 env. RapidRise yeast (¼ oz) = 1 cake fresh yeast (0.6 oz)