Cupa Cupa Cupa Cobbler

This is a recipe I got from my friend. Donna (made a few changes). 

1/2 stick margarine
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 - 4 cups fresh fruit (I think you could probably use canned fruit filling if fresh fruit is not in season)

Since I used peaches, I added some sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Melt the margarine in the bottom of a casserole or baking dish.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and milk - stir to blend.

Spoon the fruit on top of the batter - do not stir.

Bake at 350 - about 30 minutes - until browned.  The batter rises above the fruit (or the fruit sinks) and makes a crust.

Served warm with vanilla ice cream - yum!  Doesn't get much better than that.

Zucchini Fritters

1 lb zucchini, grate and set aside

Mix together into a stiff dough
1 egg slightly beaten
1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Stirr in zucchini - the liquid from the zucchini will thin out the dough into a runny batter. 

Use immediately.

Heat olive oil in a skillet.   Drop zucchini mixture by about 1/4 cup into the oil and flatten slightly to make a 'pancake'.   Brown until golden on both sides.  Drain on paper towel.

We liked these served with dill dip or ketchup.

Zucchini Frittata

Ingredients:

1 small onion

1/4 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp margarine or butter

3 small zucchini or 1 large

salt and pepper to taste

5 eggs

1/4 tsp thyme

1 tomato

1/2 cup provel cheese

(Other vegetables and cheeses can be used- experiment to find your favorite combination)

Slice the onion into thin rings and sprinkle with the sugar.  Melt the margarine in a medium oven proof skillet, add the onions and cook until carmelized (browned)  The sugar will help them carmelized quicker.

Thinly slice the zucchini - using a mandolin makes this go quickly but watch those finger tips and knuckles.   This is about 4 cups of zucchini.  It will shrink down as it cooks.

Add the zucchini to the skillet and cook until tender and just beginning to brown.  If there is a lot of liquid you may want to drain it  - but a little liquid is fine.

 While the zucchini is cooking, slice the tomato into thin slices.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add the thyme. Preheat broiler and place oven rack 8 inches from heat.

Pour the eggs over the zucchini.  I pushed the zucchini around a little with a spoon to help the egg mixture get throughout the skillet.   Top with the tomato slices.   Place under the broiler for 6 minutes.  Sprinkle the cheese on top and put back under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  Using a knife make a small slit near the middle and check that it is not runny.  It it is cover with foil and return to the oven for a minute or two.

 Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.  It really is tastier if it is not hot.  Can be served cold.

Home-made No-Salt Taco Seasoning

This is from the Make-a-Mix Cookery cookbook that I have had for about 30 years. I modified to make it salt-free.   I had all the items on hand and made 4 'packages' of taco seasoning in no time.

Taco Seasoning Mix  (quantities are for one package - I just measured everything directly into the bags)

2 tsp instant minced onion



1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Mix all together in a snack size zip lock bag.  Use within 6 months.

To make taco meat, brown 1 lb ground beef , drain well.   Add 1 package taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water.   Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Roasted Vegetables

(Sorry no photo)

Cut up into bite size pieces any veggies you want.  My favorite combination is
1 medium Zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 onion
1 or 2 bell peppers (if the peppers are the huge green ones, one is plenty - I really like 2 of the aurora bites plus that makes it more colorful - these are orange, yellow or red)
8 oz mushrooms
Preheat oven to 450 (can be done at other temps if you are doing other baking)
Place all in a large mixing bowl and pour about 2 Tbsp olive oil over.
Add (adjust the quantities for your individual tastes)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Toss to coat well.
Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking oil.  Spread veggies in a single layer.
Bake for 10 -15 minutes until tender.

Cherry Salad

This is a recipe that my mom got from one of her best friends.  It was a big favorite of our family - especially one of my brothers who loves cherries.  This is a good way to use up bananas if you wind  up with more than you can eat.

Cherry Salad
1 can red tart cherries (this is NOT cherry pie filling), drained
1 or 2 sliced bananas
You can also add coconut or mini marshmallows. Mom usually added the coconut but I don't keep it on hand.

1 cup milk
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup sugar

Mix the milk, sugar and flour in a large saucepan.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.   When it reaches boiling it will get thick and creamy.  Allow to cool.

 
Drain the cherries and place in a large mixing bowl.  Slice the banana(s) in with the cherries. Pour the cooled milk mixture over and stir well.  Refrigerate for several hours.

The tart cherries and the sweet banana slices in the creamy sauce is so good.  You will want to like the bowl clean!

Pizza crust - two recipes

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust -

original recipe found here

1 1/3 cup water

2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp yeast



 Place ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions and process on dough cycle.   Check after 5 minutes  - add a little water or flour if needed. 

When cycle completes, remove from bread machine and punch down.  Preheat oven to 400 F while shaping the pizza crusts.
The recipe makes 10 personal size pizza crusts or 3 12 inch circle crusts.  I sometimes make one large baking sheet (Pampered Chef) and 6 personal pizza crusts.  I always bake my crusts for about 10 minutes before adding toppings or freezing for later use.

To make personal pizza crusts -
Divide into 10 equal balls. (I weigh out 4 ounces of dough for each crust)
Rub a little olive oil over the bottom and sides of a 10 inch pie plate.
Spread one of the balls into a circle.  I do this directly on my clean countertop using a small rolling pin and rotating the crust.
Place in the prepared pie plate adjusting the crust if needed.
Pierce the dough with a fork numerous times.  This keeps the dough from bubbling up while baking.
Bake 10 minutes- just starts to brown but not cooked completely.
Add toppings and bake for 10 more minutes.

If you want you can cool after the first 10 minutes and freeze.  Wrap each crust in wax paper and place them in a gallon zipper bag. 
To use frozen crusts you can add toppings and bake from the frozen state, or you can warm up in the oven a few minutes before adding the toppings.

 One of my favorite combinations - homemade pasta sauce,  mushrooms, beef roast luncheon meat, green olives and mozzarella cheese.

Basic Pizza Crust
original recipe found here

1 cup water
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups flour
2 tsp yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions and process on dough cycle. Check after 5 minutes - add a little water or flour if needed.

When cycle completes, remove from bread machine and punch down. Preheat oven to 400 F while shaping the pizza crusts.
The recipe makes 8 personal size pizza crusts.

To make personal pizza crusts -
Divide into 8 equal balls. (I weigh out 4 ounces of dough for each crust)
Rub a little olive oil over the bottom and sides of a 10 inch pie plate.
Spread one of the balls into a circle. I do this directly on my clean countertop using a small rolling pin and rotating the crust.
Place in the prepared pie plate adjusting the crust if needed.
Pierce the dough with a fork numerous times. This keeps the dough from bubbling up while baking.
Bake 10 minutes- just starts to brown but not cooked completely.
Add toppings and bake for 10 more minutes.

If you want you can cool after the first 10 minutes and freeze. Wrap each crust in wax paper and place them in a gallon zipper bag.
To use frozen crusts you can add toppings and bake from the frozen state, or you can warm up in the oven a few minutes before adding the toppings.