Spring, New Life, and Banana Muffins, Zucchini Muffins

Depending on where I live, I love different seasons. In the Great North, I LOOOOOVED Winter!! I miss Winter, and even when I lived up north I longed for Winter all year long. Years ago when I lived in California, I loved the Summer -- I mean seriously, 75 degrees most of the time, right on the beach in San Diego? You've gotta be crazy not to appreciate that!! And, in our current state, more than loving Spring, I need Spring. The Winter here is sooooo depressing and the sweet green buds and flowers awaken my heart.

I also love babies. It seems that there are more babies born in spring, which makes the season even more delightful =)  One of my dearest friends just had her second baby. We've been pregnant at the same time with each of our children, first girls, now boys. We both lost pregnancies in between children  born, and both of our boys were HUGE surprises, pretty much a month after loosing our pregnancies. I love identifying with someone's story so closely. I hate that we've both been through these things, but I love that we are able to understand each other, and she's one of two people who really truly understand what I mean when I say I'm still having a hard time accepting that this child's coming soon - at 6 months pregnant!

And so, I was more than happy to cook food for her family when she recently had her son. I made tamales... which they've never had... (I hope I don't ruin them on them!) And banana bread, which turns out to be her favorite! That just makes my heart jump when I make something for someone and it turns out to be something they love so much!!

Hopefully she loved this one... I don't know if it's my pregnancy hormones and taste buds or what, but even though my husband told me it was the very best banana ANYthing I've EVER made, I really didn't like them that much. For me, there was just an odd after-taste. Oh well, if you wanna make them, you be the judge =)

I got this recipe from two separate recipes and mixed them up, changing them up. Here's what I got in the end:

Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup Ghirardelli 60% Dark Chocolate Chips

3/4 cup walnuts

1/2 cup Crisco

2/3 cup sugar

3 TBSP mayo

2 *rotten* bananas

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Makes 12 muffins. Bake 350 degrees, 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan.

And then I actually found myself desperately craving more. Not so much the banana part, I think just the awesome mix of chocolate and walnuts. So today I tried the recipe again, a little different, and replaced the banana with zucchini (convincing myself that it's healthy if it's full of vegetable!) They still left a weird after-taste, but like I said, it might just be me... And here's what came out:

Chocolate Chip Walnut Zucchini Muffins

2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oz. Ghirardelli 60% Dark Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup Crisco
2/3 cup sugar
2 TBSP brown sugar
3 TBSP mayo
3 small zucchinis, shredded
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Makes 23 muffins. Bake 350 degrees, 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan.

These are FULL of chocolate chips, and I'm actually a little jittery writing this... Oops! The baby's doing a caffeine dance, too =)

Honestly, I want to learn how to make a really fabulous zucchini bread, especially one that's not loaded with sugar!! So, if you have a great recipe, feel free to send it to me =)

Basil Manicotti with Zucchini Cream Sauce

Having a definite hatred of all things tomato, but still loving and craving Italian-style food, I opted for a creamy, hearty approach to the sauce for Manicotti - my fave in the pasta family. (I do wish I could find a whole wheat version! Any ideas, anyone?) This dish took way too long to make, and I am hoping that was because it was my first time making it!

I love meals that are involved -- Recipes that call for sautéing, deglazing, broiling, puréeing, stuffing, and baking -- All in one recipe!!! That is like a dream for me. Granted, there are nights when the microwave is my primary implamentation of heating up some...thing... that I should be ashamed to admit to eating... But we all do eat pre-packaged foods, because this is America and we're busy, tired, and as the average "middle" class can't afford servants =) Besides my husband is tired of eating at 8:00PM!

This is one of those I-will-be-making-a-LOT meals, although next time I do think I'll make a second batch and freeze them! It's definite comfort food, not exactly as healthy as it could be. I'm not going to lay out an exact recipe here, I think I'll just let you know in general what I did:

Sweat one medium onion, then add one garlic clove to finish sautéing. Put onion and garlic in blender. Deglaze skillet (brand-new cast iron skillet in my case - yay birthdays and thoughtful, attentive husbands!!) with vegetable broth, pour into blender. Add more fat and sauté three peeled zucchini. Toss in blender. Deglaze again and add to blender. Broil one organic red bell pepper; skin and seed. Blend very well with other vegetable awaiting their organic friend in the blender. Add one container of Philly Cooking Cream, some spices to taste, and blend again. Meanwhile, or even beforehand, boil manicotti, drain, rinse with cold water. Stuff with a ricotta, basil paste, and mozzarella mix. Line in casserole dish. Pour on sauce (in between layers and on bottom to help with non-stickage. Sprinkle with asiago. Bake. Enjoy.

(I guess that did turn out to be a full recipe!)

Santa Fe Zucchini Pretzels

I know, that sounds horrific... It's just that I have a complete, utter, ABSOLUTE distaste, disgust, aversion - whatever you want to call it - for tomatoes in ANY form, and that obviously encompasses pizza... So I just can't use the word. But today I made a bread with vegetables on top, complete with a base sauce, and a slight little topping of leftover shredded cheese (from Nachoverload). It was one of those cupboard-and-fridge-cleaning-out types of recipes =)

WHAT YOU NEED:
For the bread:
1 packet of dry active yeast
1 cup warm-hot-ish water
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, spooned & leveled
Extra flour for dusting
Large zip-top bag

For the toppings:
Butter for sauteing
3 zucchini
1 onion
1 large garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Basil, salt, pepper
Half container of Philly Santa Fe Style Cooking Cream
1/4 cup shredded cheese

HOW TO:
Make the bread:
Please refer back to my post on Homemade Pretzels, and just roll the dough out to a large square instead of dividing it into 8 pieces and making pretzels =)
Bake at 500 degrees for only a few minutes -- you don't want it completely crispy.
Turn over down to 350 for the next part.

Make the toppings:
(Start this early on, maybe while the bread dough is rising, otherwise your house will be at hot as mine was... And Baby doesn't like saunas. Neither does Husband!)

Saute sliced zucchini in 1 TBSP. butter over medium heat; add a little salt, and pepper like theres no tomorrow. (Always season every dish at every stage of cooking. *BEST* cooking advice I think I've ever gotten!!!!!!) And, stir, stir, stir!!! Once zucchini start to cook they brown fast!

In a second pan, saute thinly sliced onion with 1TBSP. butter over medium heat. Stir often! You can turn the heat off when they reach a golden yellow color, but leave on burner and continue to stir for another couple of minutes. Some smaller chunks might be a little browner than others, that's ok =)

Whichever of the zucchini or onion pans clear up first, use it to briefly saute the chopped fresh parsley, on medium-high heat, along with minced garlic clove, basil, and 1/4 TBSP. butter - just until the parsley is wilty.

Assemble:
Philly Santa Fe Style Cooking Cream goes on the bread first.
Zucchini are spaced to where you get at least one in every bite --
Ya-hummmm! =)

Before baking...

Next are the onions.
Then, the wonderful and fragrant spice mixture is sparsely dispersed on top.
Salt entire concoction, and pepper liberally!

...and After

Last, just a dash of cheese. (After all, this is not Italian. I was simply cleaning out my fridge and cupboards, and happened to get creative.)

SERVES:

How hungry is your family? ... Um, we got 12 squares out of it, about 3x3 inches each.

COST:
As best as I can calculate it = $4.76 (That's only 39.6 cents per square!!!)

Nachoverload

My husband and I like our nachos OVERloaded! Lots of veggies, lots of beans.... You know how at Thanksgiving you always take "a little" of everything and then you have a volcanic eruption of goodness you don't know what to do with (but secretly you love it and wish you had added a few deviled eggs as well) on your plate? ... And you forgot to wear your fat pants! Well, that's nacho night at our house.

WHAT YOU NEED:

3 chicken breast, diced
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 TBSP. butter
A boatload of spices -- ground onion, ground garlic, ground chili, cayenne, salt, black pepper, dried Mexican oregano

1/2 red onion

3 cloves garlic

1 organic red bell pepper

2 zucchini

2 large (or 3 average) jalapeños 

6 green onions
1 can of salsa verde -- unless you want to make it at home!
1 bag organic corn chips
3 cups of beans -- cooked in the crock pot that day =)
16 oz. mixed ("Mexican blend") shredded cheese

WHAT TO DO:

Soak beans overnight (I used white because that's what I had on-hand); cook all day long, with salt and dried minced white onion (Penzey's is THE best!!)

Saute diced chicken in the olive oil and butter, add spices early on.
Half-way through add the following diced veggies: red onion, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeños, and green onions (cut in 1-2 inch pieces).
Add salsa verde at the end. You really only want it warm and mixed with the rest of the chicken and veggie mess.
Layer chips, some cheese (protects the chips a little from bean juice and salsa), beans, chicken/veggie mix, and more cheese; broil.

Ok, if you are like me, you like your nacho fixings on your chips, and actually appreciate the slightly soggy chips at the bottom. If you are like my husband, you would rather eat your nacho slop with a fresh chip out of the bag each bite... Either way, slop it how you like it on foil, on a cookie sheet, and put on the lowest rack in the oven and heat for just a couple of minutes under the broiler. **Make sure that no chips are showing - burnt corn chips are naaaasty!**

For easy clean-up, just serve your nachos on the foil on the plates!
Serve with some guacamole or sour cream on top, if desired.

COST:

At least another week's time before you fit into your jeans again...

SERVES:

Six American adults, or a nation of malnourished yoga gurus.

Did you know that nachos are named after a man named Ignacio who created the fun TexMex classic? His nickname was "Nacho".

21 Really Great Foods for Baby

Another fun list, as part of my "30" series ... Here are some foods that, though they might seem obvious to you, took time for me to learn that they are great "firsts" in Baby's repertoire of consumables =)

Apple -- Cut into "sticks" and double as teethers =)
Avocado -- (Thanks, Gina!!)
Banana -- Obviously...
Beans -- Good for that sweet little heart! ... And, digestion tract!
Blueberries -- Frozen, just thawed a bit, is a GREAT finger-food for Baby to handle! And, aren't really a big choking hazard! (Especially wild blueberries - they're a lot smaller.)
Casseroles -- Lots of good messiness, all rolled up into one easy step for Mom.
Cheese -- Our baby might be weird, but she really digs some cheese!
Chocolate -- I know, you probably think I'm crazy! But, she loves it =)
Hummus -- ANY flavor! No kidding!! Super easy to eat on little bites of pita bread.
Kefir -- Full of Probiotics. Ohhhh, if you're not into Kefir yourself yet, you're missing out. BIG time!! It's yogurt with a little kick. It's an acquired taste, but doesn't take long to acquire it!! Get some TODAY!!!!
Mac & Cheese -- Quick, easy, finger-food friendly, but will need a bath afterwards =)
Organic Red Bell Peppers -- If you can get your kid to eat this, PLEASE do!!! (If you are wondering why, please read the blurb about it at the end of my post on Chop-Block Bread, and also visit this list to see what fruits and veggies hold the most pesticides!!!)
Quesadillas -- Again, with the cheese =)
Quinoa -- A great way to introduce texture. Sneak a little into Baby's pureed food, or just let him/her pick it up as a new finger-food.
Rice -- Please, do your kid a favor and give them anything BUT plain ol' white super-starchy white rice! There are many ways to encourage your child to end up obese, and this is one of them. (Same as white potato... Read the book Sugar Busters!!)
Rolls & Hearty-Grainy Breads
Smoothies! -- YUM!! (Sneak in some spinach & flax seed, too!)
Soups
Turkey/Chicken -- But I think it kind of freaks her out when I do "gobble, gobble" and "ba-gak" noises to let her know what it is... Ooops.

Yogurt -- Greek! (2x protein!)

Zucchini -- I just discovered this one... Dang, Zucchini, where have you BEEN all this time?!?!?!?!

Do YOU have any suggestions?

PS -- Can anyone tell me where to find a really good pre-packaged mac & cheese that includes whole wheat pasta? We actually don't even give Baby white pasta (again, like white rice, white flour, white potato...), and we all miss mac & cheese!!! We used to really like Archer Farms from Target, but they don't have a whole wheat....  HELP!!!! Thanks!!!!